Mr. Speaker, after years of complacency by the former Liberal government, in 2006, our Conservative government signed a softwood lumber agreement with our American partners. At the time, companies were paying up to 37% in export duties, and billions of dollars, money that belonged to Canadian companies, was being hoarded in the United States.
Can the Prime Minister promise that when he goes to Washington he will ask President Obama not to waste any time signing an agreement that will allow the forestry industry to continue to grow and provide jobs in every region of Canada?