Pierre Pettigrew

[Softwood Lumber, March 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I think it is only the member who is saying that the government has not been providing the leadership to the Canadian industry.

For the first time, Canada has not blinked before the Americans. For the first time, we have made progress with the Americans on the softwood lumber issue. It has been two years that Canada has been fighting these duties. It has been two years that we have been working with the secretary of commerce, who has now come to terms with our position and is trying to help. There are senators in the United States on our side asking the American administration to pull with us. That is leadership and progress.

[Softwood Lumber, March 17th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, we continue to work very closely with Canadian industry from east to west. We are continuing to work with the provinces. The channels are wide open with the Americans at this moment.

We continue to have a very strong dialogue. However, two weeks ago we came to the decision that negotiations per se were difficult on the interim measures because the gap was too wide between the two of us. We made great progress in January and February on the substance of the issue and the forestry management programs in our country.

[Crown Corporations, February 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for London—Fanshawe for his question. It gives me the opportunity to congratulate EDC on winning the Auditor General's award for excellence in annual reporting. This is the fifth time since the award was launched in 1994 that EDC has won the Auditor General's excellence award.

I also want to commend EDC on its corporate disclosure policy addressing transparency and accountability which reflects the government's policy on the openness of trade.

[Softwood Lumber, February 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I do not know if exactly every single dollar, but my department is a very transparent department and the money would be in the accounts.

The $15 million is to help the associations of softwood lumber producers. I think everybody in Canada will acknowledge that the softwood lumber associations of this country, from the east Quebec association to the British Columbia association, have been doing an outstanding job of promoting our interests in the United States.

Our government wants to stand by the associations and of course it would be transparent about the use of that investment in softwood lumber.

[Softwood Lumber, February 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I have answered exactly that question. This has been at the heart of our strategy, gaining leverage against the American administration with our strong cases before NAFTA and the WTO.

We will maintain our action both at the WTO and at NAFTA as long as the Americans are harming our exports. We want free trade in softwood lumber and unfettered access for Canadian exporters to the American market.

[Softwood Lumber, February 26th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I can be absolutely clear that as long as the Americans will have that punitive 27% tax against Canadian exporters of softwood lumber, we will be going both to the WTO and NAFTA. We are there with six cases. We have a good chance of winning.

[Softwood Lumber, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I will ask the gentleman to ask me, with bilingualism in the House, I meant to say that the negotiations had been suspended this morning. This is far more important than doing cheap political points on the fact that a minister used an expression in his second language which was not exactly what he wanted to say.

What we are encountering right now is very serious. There has been much progress on the provincial policy reforms. That is done. These policy bulletins will continue. We still have some progress to make on the Quebec side and I hope that will proceed.

[Softwood Lumber, February 25th, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, I am not sure I understand exactly the member's question.

Canada has never accepted the 27% tax on Canadian softwood lumber. We have been saying for a long time that we believe it is a punitive tax that should not have been applied. This is why right now we have six cases before the WTO and NAFTA. We challenged the American right to impose that tax on us. However we tried to find a long term policy based resolution. Mr. Aldonas did a great job trying to identify what policy reforms in our provinces could bring relief of that tax. Unfortunately, the negotiations this morning met a stopping point.

[Supply, February 24th, 2003]

The member asked for more.

[Softwood Lumber, February 21st, 2003]

Mr. Speaker, clearly this is a very important dimension to the discussions that are taking place right now.

The chief executive officers of our softwood lumber industry are in Washington because, as a government, we want to work closely with them and consult with them.

What we are trying to do in the present negotiations with Mr. Aldonas is identify a resolution to the present dispute. This will be done by correcting and improving our forestry management practices and eliminating the countervailing and antidumping duties that is being applied to our softwood lumber in the United States right now.