Mr. Speaker, in response to (a), the softwood lumber agreement has been in focus since the Minister of International Trade assumed office on November 4, 2015.
Negotiations and discussions between officials from Global Affairs Canada and officials from the Office of the United States Trade Representative have taken place on a routine basis. The Minister of International Trade regularly raises this issue with her counterparts in the United States and, in conjunction with her parliamentary secretary, continues to consult widely with domestic stakeholders, including industry representatives and provincial governments, in order to ensure an outcome is achieved that will benefit all of Canada.
During the March 10, 2016, state visit to Washington, D.C., the Prime Minister and the U.S. President publicly expressed their interest in a long-term agreement. Both leaders tasked their ministers to intensively explore all options and report back in 100 days on the key features that would address the softwood lumber issue.
In response to (b), discussions include regular phone calls and in-person meetings. In addition to bilateral meetings held in Washington, D.C., the minister has also had bilateral meetings and discussed the issue with her U.S. counterparts while in Davos, Switzerland, and Nairobi, Kenya.
In response to (c), various staff and officials in the Ministry of International Trade have been involved in the file, including: the Minister of International Trade; Christine Hogan, deputy minister of international trade; Kirsten Hillman, acting assistant deputy minister, trade agreements and negotiations branch; Martin Moen, director general, North America and investment bureau; Aaron Fowler, director, softwood lumber division; Gilles Gauthier, minister, economic affairs, Embassy of Canada to the United States of America; Colin Bird, minister-counsellor, trade and economic policy, Embassy of Canada to the United States of America; Michael Owen, senior counsel and deputy director, investment and services law division; Alexander Monchez, senior trade policy officer, softwood lumber division; and Zachary Archambault, senior trade policy officer, softwood lumber division.
In processing parliamentary returns, the government applies the Privacy Act and the principles set out in the Access to Information Act, and certain information concerning the names of foreign delegates has been withheld on the grounds that the information constitutes personal information or would be injurious to the conduct of international affairs.