Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I would like to inform you that I will be splitting my time with the member for Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, if that is all right with you.
I would like to go back to the previous speech, because I was impressed by the pressure tactics the Liberal government is using to negotiate an agreement on softwood lumber with the United States. My colleague mentioned all of the action being taken, from the minister's phone calls, to the parliamentary secretaries, in particular the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and for Canada-U.S. Relations, who, in an interview about NAFTA on October 11, had this to say about supply management:
“Is there room to discuss and negotiate? Of course.”
That was his answer. That is the most our parliamentary secretaries can muster in their negotiations with the Americans. They open the door wide open and voluntarily suggest there may be room to negotiate. Since we began talking about this free trade agreement, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was previously Minister of International Trade, has been staying on message, stating that they want a good deal, not just any deal.
Two years into the government's mandate and we still have no agreement, and the industry is concerned. We are certainly giving dairy, poultry, and egg producers cause for concern, because every time the government needs to deal with the Americans, they mess things up. The government is incapable of reaching an agreement. So much for the Liberal government's negotiating power vis-à-vis the Americans.
I thank the member from Richmond—Arthabaska for the opportunity to discuss this important issue today. It is exactly the type of agreement—