Madam Chair, I want to say hello to the people tuning in this evening from Rimouski-Neigette, La Mitis, La Matapédia and Les Basques.
This is an extremely important debate for the people back home in the Lower St. Lawrence. The forestry industry is a major economic pillar. It supports over 6,000 direct and indirect jobs. It encompasses nearly 250 businesses. Our region alone accounts for 10% of Quebec's softwood lumber production.
Forestry is a real driver of regional development. It contributes to the vitality of hundreds of municipalities and communities in the Lower St. Lawrence. Where I come from, a wooden pallet is not some prop that only can be found in stores. A wooden pallet represents a paycheque for our families. It represents a paycheque for workers in our region. It represents a sawmill that continues to open its doors every morning.
For the past 10 years, it has felt like the government was turning a deaf ear. It is almost as if it has so little understanding of the regions that it does not even understand what the forestry industry is. Now, the Americans are imposing 45% tariffs and nothing is being done. The government is in complete denial. We have been calling for an emergency debate for weeks. That was not a priority either. We have a Prime Minister who travels all over the world, yet he is not even capable of coming here to solve domestic problems.
I would like my colleague to explain to me whether he really thinks that the forestry industry and the regions of Quebec are a priority for the Liberal government.