Mr. Speaker, we now know when the new softwood lumber crisis is going to begin.
On April 24, the countervailing duty rate should be made known and imposed on Canadian lumber sold in the United States. The Union des municipalités du Québec, like all forestry industry stakeholders, is expecting a long legal battle, once again to the detriment of the regions of Quebec.
Will Ottawa commit here and now to give forestry companies a loan guarantee to help them deal with the new softwood lumber crisis it is dragging us into?