Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber dispute has been going on for 40 months now. The industry is at the end of its rope, and an aid package is urgently needed.
Technically, the dispute ended on August 10, 2005, when the NAFTA panel ruled that there was no threat to the U.S. industry and that the countervailing and anti-dumping duties should be revoked and refunded.
Unfortunately, for the first time since the free trade agreement was entered into 17 years ago, the United States refused to comply with a panel decision. This choice the Americans made has very serious implications and threatens the integrity of NAFTA, whose decisions are supposed to be binding.
Now the industry has to go before American courts again to obtain justice, which is practically setting them back 20 years.
The Prime Minister and the government ought to show determination and implement the solutions put forward by the Bloc Québécois three years ago now.
The time for talk is over; it is now time to act.