Mr. Speaker, on April 19 the United States and Canada met for formal consultations on the softwood lumber agreement to try to resolve their differences. Seven months into the agreement, the U.S. is questioning whether certain Canadian federal and provincial assistance programs violate the agreement. It has been reported that little was accomplished at the meeting and that it remains likely that the U.S. will request arbitration.
The Conservative government rammed the softwood lumber agreement down the throats of the industry and through the House of Commons. It did so by selling out the softwood lumber industry. It negotiated away our dispute settlement mechanisms. It threw away past NAFTA and WTO rulings that were in Canada's favour. It even left $1 billion in illegally collected tariffs on the U.S. table to use against us in consultations, litigation and arbitrations.
The minister stated on June 12, 2006, “What the agreement does is constrain the U.S. protectionists' ability to attack our industry”. A billion dollars was lost and now we are headed for potential arbitration. When will--