David Emerson

[Softwood Lumber, May 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, what I was explaining yesterday, when we were talking about this in committee, was that there would be a requirement for a ways and means motion which would enable an export tax to be put in place so that revenues could flow back to those provinces to enhance the economic prospects of the industries in those areas.

The timing of that bill is uncertain at this time. We think we will have a finalized agreement before Parliament rises in June.

[Barbados, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the government is fully committed to liberalized trade and our trade with Barbados is extremely important to us. We will be carrying out further discussions to ensure that there are no impediments to the development of that commercial relationship.

[Forest Industry, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, provincial stumpage and forest management policies are protected under this agreement. They are protected by that very anti-circumvention clause which prevents American protectionists from launching new, aggressive and spurious anti-dumping and countervailing duty cases.

This agreement creates a logical orderly framework in which we can all build the industry going forward. It protects our policies. It does not destroy them.

[Forest Industry, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, more partisan rhetoric and more class war. Let us just have a good go at it here. Let us ignore the real needs of the softwood lumber industry. Let us forget about the fact that this agreement will create stability and certainty and it will create a basis on which the industry can grow and jobs can be created going forward. We will have a more competitive Canadian and North American industry going forward. That is good for Canada.

[Softwood Lumber, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member should get out of West Vancouver for awhile and get up into the communities that depend on the softwood lumber industry. He should go to Fort St. James, Fort St. John, Prince George and Cranbrook and find out what kind of a future those people feel they will have if we do not solve this softwood lumber dispute. We have now solved it and those communities will return to stability and economic prosperity.

[Softwood Lumber, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member must have been out of the country for the last 20 years because what we have seen for 20 years is U.S. protectionists' unfair trade measures aiming their guns at Canadian provincial government policy. This agreement creates a framework of certainty and stability, and our policies will be safe from any attacks of that nature going forward.

[Softwood Lumber, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, another flight of partisan rhetoric.

For the last 20 years we have been in a world where United States protectionists have been attacking provincial governments' forest management policies. The whole softwood lumber dispute has been about protectionists attacking provincial policies here in Canada.

This agreement creates a framework in which those policies are secure and where we do not have to worry about countervailing and anti-dumping duties. We have more sovereignty coming out of this agreement than we have ever had before.

[Softwood Lumber, May 15th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the softwood lumber framework agreement is actually a very good deal for Canada, it is a very good deal for the softwood lumber industry and it is good for every region of Canada, whether it is Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the west or British Columbia.

It is a good deal and it will bring security, investment and a rejuvenation of the softwood lumber industry in Canada.

[Pacific Gateway, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I hate to have to say this to the hon. member but this government's commitment to the gateway is stronger than the commitment that was made by the previous government. It is much stronger.

[Pacific Gateway, May 4th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, $599 million was projected. It was done over eight years to provide sufficient flexibility so that if some of those projects took longer the appropriations would not lapse. If we can put money into projects faster we will do that. The gateway has been protected. There is over $5 billion in new infrastructure money that will also connect to gateway initiatives and other money for border security, border initiatives, technology and investments that will complement the gateway.