Madam Speaker, since this is National Forest Week, as the natural resources critic for the Bloc Québécois, I would like to make my colleagues aware of how vital these resources are to the planet.
As we know, trees purify the air. The forests in Quebec and Canada capture close to 40 megatonnes of CO2 every year, and this is absolutely free. Forests, which cover more than 760,000 square km in Quebec, are a renewable resource that we must develop responsibly. Forests ask for nothing in return for everything that they do, other than to be treated with respect.
Furthermore, forests account for many jobs in Quebec. The forestry industry plays an important role in Quebec and it deserves financial support.
I am calling on the government to do everything it can to protect this resource for the future and to help the forestry industry make it through this unprecedented crisis.