Mr. Speaker, in exactly one month, the Americans will bring back countervailing duties and, in May, businesses will have to make cash deposits on their softwood lumber exports.
On Monday of this week, the Americans had not come up with any counter-offer, had offered no guarantee of a return to free trade, and they took an even tougher stand vis-à-vis the provinces.
Given the situation, does the government intend to announce measures to support the softwood lumber industry and its workers, for instance by making guaranteed loans available to the industry.