Mr. Speaker, those in the United States lumber industry who had challenged the NAFTA procedures have now agreed unanimously to withdraw their lawsuit.
Accordingly, with the removal of this final obstacle, I understand that the United States Department of Commerce will in the next days begin to return the deposits of Canadian lumber companies, totalling some $800 million plus interest.
I should add that the Canadian and United States governments will join in a consultative process to facilitate trade in lumber on both sides of our border.