Mr. Speaker, yesterday in my office I hosted a briefing on the mountain pine beetle infestation in British Columbia which has already killed 5.7 million hectares of working forest, an area twice the size of Vancouver Island and a number that is expected to quadruple this year. If left unchecked this epidemic has the potential to destroy the economy of north central British Columbia.
Will the Prime Minister agree to meet with the new premier of British Columbia and commit to providing a share of the resources necessary to combat this epidemic?