Mr. Speaker, I respectfully disagree with my colleague in her assessment of our approach to this issue. We have been very clear when it comes to the steel sector, in particular, that we want to support this sector. This is such a critical part of our economy. The steel sector employs 23,000 Canadians from across the country in 15 different mills and it contributes $4.2 billion to our GDP.
That is exactly why we are in the House having this conversation, presenting this bill and making sure that workers recognize that we have their backs. This is nothing new. We have been very supportive of the steel sector in recent years, particularly with the challenges we have seen with the section 232 unfair and unjustified tariffs that were imposed. We were very clear in our response to that and we have supported the industry through significant measures, particularly measures that support our small and medium-sized businesses as well.
We have been very clear that this legislation, Bill C-101, is about providing more flexibility. It is going to stabilize Canada's steel market and it is going to further protect the workers. We are trying to provide that predictability for workers in the steel sector who want to know that the government has their back.
Frankly, this is not an issue that we need to be partisan on. This is one issue where we can be united, just the way Canadians saw us when we negotiated the new NAFTA. It was all hands on deck. Everyone was working together. Canadians have that same level of expectation when it comes to this legislation as well. Let us not make this partisan. Let us not make this personal. Let us focus on a very important industry. Let us focus on the jobs on hand and make sure we stabilize this market. In light of the surges that may come up, we need to have the flexibility and the tools to defend our sector and defend our workers.