Mr. Speaker, I am sure my colleague would agree that when we look at overall trade between Canada and the U.S. this issue or this irritant constitutes less than 3% of all trade between Canada and the United States. Some 97% of all trade between the two countries is going well, but we will continue to see those irritants from time to time. It is imperative for us to use the existing mechanism to resolve those issues.
Would my colleague agree that the course undertaken by the minister of going to an alternative dispute settlement mechanism, as well as venues such as the World Trade Organization dispute mechanism and the NAFTA dispute resolution mechanism, is proper?
Also he might want to comment on whether or not the whole issue deals with efficiencies. The lumber industry is a cyclical industry. When the market is not there for lumber, producers on both sides of the equation raise concerns.
We are seeing closures on both sides of the border between Canada and the United States. In Canada over 50% of our mills have closed as a result of the market. I wanted to hear from my colleague, because he is probably quite aware given his area, whether or not those comments constitute the facts.