Mr. Speaker, how can she say there is a firm agreement when a tax will imposed when the price goes below $355 for 1,000 feet?
They reneged on the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is quite paradoxical of the Conservative Party, which was the author of this agreement, to be in denial in the softwood lumber issue.
The companies concerned by the situation were expecting to get from their lenders an advance on the money they expected to get back. The banks are saying they cannot guarantee loans because the content of the agreement is too uncertain.
Would the federal government not have been better off helping the companies and ensuring proper cooperation in order to win this battle on free trade and softwood lumber instead of coming to a compromise that disadvantages the entire economy?
The only companies that win are located along the border. For the rest, this contract is not profitable for Quebec or Canada.