Mr. Speaker, there is talk that Canada may accept an export tax in the softwood lumber dispute. This would be a reversal of Canadian policy and could have been done a year ago. It may be portrayed by the Liberal government as a success story but at what cost to Canadian lumber producers?
Although a self-administered export tax would allow Canada to retain the tax revenue, it would send the wrong message about who controls Canada's forests. Canadians have the right to establish prices that reflect market conditions in Canada. This must be a short term measure and the government's real interest must be to negotiate a permanent softwood lumber solution.
What the Americans really want is increased access to Canadian round logs. Can the Liberal government tell us why Canadians should not benefit from all the value added revenue?
The lesson to be learned here is that the Prime Minister and the Minister for International Trade talk about being favoured trading partners of the United States, yet they have completely failed to negotiate a fair trade deal on softwood lumber.
We need a solution that is fair. Will the Liberal government show backbone and deliver a fair deal?