Mr. Speaker, since 2015, 11 mills have closed in my region. That is over 2,700 jobs lost, with 2,700 families that cannot feed their kids, cannot pay their mortgages and cannot pay their hydro bills. Vanderhoof lost 500 jobs. Prince George lost 1,000 jobs. Williams Lake lost 1,070 jobs. Quesnel lost 150 jobs, and 100 Mile House lost 160 jobs.
British Columbia used to be the largest producer of softwood in our nation, but since 2015, over 30 mills have closed and thousands of British Columbians are out of work, with communities destroyed and families unable to put food on the table.
The Prime Minister promised a deal with the U.S. Instead, tariffs on Canadian softwood have tripled. Conservatives are calling on the Prime Minister to do what he promised, which is to get a deal on softwood and protect our hard-working loggers, truckers and mill workers. Forestry families matter.