Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to have been appointed the Bloc Québécois critic for private woodlot owners. With this recent appointment, the Bloc Québécois is recognizing that woodlot owners have their own set of problems to which the federal government is not paying enough attention.
The economic spinoffs from Quebec's 130,000 private woodlot owners are very important to our regions, and for some rural communities they are vital. However, private owners have to deal with the crisis in the forestry industry that has resulted in a significant drop in revenues because of mill closures, fewer buyers, and falling prices.
I would like to assure private woodlot owners in Quebec that the Bloc Québécois supports their demands and will continue to work for change.