Mr. Speaker, my friend from South Shore suggested that the Government of Canada failed to make the right arguments in Washington and failed to get the support of American legislators. I wonder whether he really believes that is the case.
Members on all sides of the House have been working on the issue and making arguments. The minister and his officials have been to Washington. For the past year or more they have been working on this issue. The softwood lumber industry is the minister's top priority. We know how much political weight the industry has in the U.S.
Does the member think there was an openness to hear our arguments? Does he think the Americans were determined to have the tariffs come in during the period between the tariff initiation and the WTO decisions?