Sales Tax Amendments Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to the presentation by the hon. member for Joliette on Bill C-40. He talked about the GST relief for foreign banks. There is another very important element: the situation currently experienced by school boards. In my riding of Burnaby—New Westminster, the school boards in Burnaby and New Westminster have spoken out about the need to get the same GST exemption as municipalities and governments.

International Trade committee  One is a very brief discussion on Bill C-24, the softwood lumber bill, and how that will start on next Tuesday. I don't think there's a lot to discuss on that, but Peter Julian also has two motions before the committee. One was passed at the last committee meeting, but it was passed in a form that we discovered really didn't allow the clerk to prepare the report, so we need a little bit of discussion to deal with that.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, I will salute the courage of only the second Conservative member to step forward and actually speak on this issue because we know that this sellout has been badly botched and that the Conservative sheep are basically refusing to speak in the House. We also know that the Conservatives are invoking closure, shutting down debate in the House because they are ashamed themselves of what has been such a poorly botched negotiation and such an appallingly bad agreement.

International Trade committee  No, my question was...and I'll come back to you on that. I'll press you on this question: do we not have to look at the fundamentals? I'm not saying it's the entire explanation, but we have to look at trade policy in light of the fact that our economy is only performing for the wealthiest among us.

International Trade committee  Mr. Chair, these are motions that are adopted by committee. It would be absurd to start to have a motion that is then followed by a dissenting motion, and then followed by another dissenting motion. It just becomes absolutely bizarre. What we have is the opportunity to provide a dissident report when the committee provides a full report, as we did with the international trade committee report that we completed a few weeks ago.

Afghanistan  Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague and friend from Avalon for his remarks and his presence tonight to take part in what is a historic event. He has recited quite accurately some of the improvements and changes for the positive that we see happening in Afghanistan.

Resumption of debate on Address in Reply  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to open the debate on today's theme from the throne speech: strengthening the federation and our democratic institutions. We have a great, united country whose foundation is a solid federation and a living democracy. In fact, federalism and democracy have gone hand and hand throughout Canada's history.

International Trade committee  Thank you for that. He did admit—and it was the first time the government has admitted this—to the fact that Canadian families at the poorer income levels are actually getting poorer. Now, he said he hoped that would address itself. My concern, and I'll complete the point on that note, is that more of the same medicine is not going to lead to more prosperity; it's going to lead to an even larger prosperity gulf as our manufacturing capacity erodes.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, both ponies have splints on their legs. I would not bet on either of them. There was appalling negligence from the Liberal government and then it was actually worse from the Conservatives. This sellout did not need to happen because the Conservatives and the minister did not understand what they were getting into.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to answer the question. Hyperbole has been the domain of the Conservatives. The Prime Minister said it was going to take seven years of litigation. I asked the trade minister and Michael Wilson about this appeal process that they had invented out of thin air that would allow seven years of appeals.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, with respect to my colleague, the member for Sherbrooke, I really appreciate his work on the Standing Committee on International Trade. But I do not understand what he has just told us. This summer in fact the Quebec industry voted 35 to 12 in favour of the agreement.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciated the presentation by the member for Sherbrooke, my colleague on the Standing Committee on International Trade. However, he did not explain why the Bloc Québécois continues to support the agreement. We are well aware that the situation was different in September.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I always like following Mr. Menzies. It's important to note that if the Doha Round was really about helping the poor, there wouldn't be many progressive democracies in the third world who are very much opposed to the direction the WTO is taking. I'd like to thank each of the witnesses for coming forward today, particularly the Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006  Mr. Speaker, we have heard this morning that the Conservatives and Liberals worked together to kill the trade hearings which would be held in British Columbia. We certainly understand why the Conservatives are afraid of going into British Columbia on softwood in that we have a trade minister who has absolutely no credibility, who has betrayed his riding in Vancouver Kingsway, and who could not get elected dog catcher in Vancouver Kingsway if he tried.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Brodrick, following up on your comments around the trade associations that have come forward, Alberta certainly is not alone. There's Saskatchewan; we've had the Ontario associations, and most of B.C. Very clearly, the trade associations have stated that they have huge concerns with these badly flawed negotiations.