Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Jeffery, in response to Mr. Hogan's question, you mentioned retooling sawmills. When it comes to federal financial support, the armed wing of the government is Economic Development Canada.
However, if a sawmill asks the federal government for financial help to purchase equipment or retool, the default answer is no, because the request is referred to Global Affairs Canada. The government thinks providing that help would cause problems with the U.S. trade agreement.
I think that's a travesty. The federal government's vehicle for economic development can't be used to help a sector of the economy, the forestry sector. That puts us at a total disadvantage.
Is that something you've experienced in recent years, in other words, a lack of financial support, for sawmills in particular?