Mr. Speaker, I read somewhere recently that the Minister of Trade speaks five languages. Apparently trade is not one of them.
From forest to mill, almost 400,000 high-quality, well-paying forestry jobs are now at risk because of the minister's inaction on the softwood lumber file. In one of my communities alone, two mills are at risk. That is 400 jobs and a quarter of the municipal tax base.
How does the Minister of Trade expect people to continue to work and live in the communities they call home when there are no jobs to put food on the table for their families?