International Trade committee  One other point is that it would be a terrible shame if the Softwood Lumber Board and this effort were to be a casualty of a legal dispute going forward.

International Trade committee  The 2006 agreement was tied to a percentage of market share in the U.S., so there was every incentive for the Canadian industry to want to see that market grow. Therefore, we focused on the right thing under the last agreement, which was growing the pie, because there's plenty en

International Trade committee  I don't think the optionality is an issue in terms of favouring one region over the other. The problem with a quota-only discussion is that you have to start with what the number is. Without trying to be too glib, if it is 100%, then quota works. If you could tell me somewhere be

International Trade committee  I would counter or add that optionality was a key part of the last agreement. It worked well for all regions, and the lack of details around a quota-only approach has resulted in either uncertainty or disagreement clear across the country. It affects regions in the east that were

International Trade committee  I would echo that. As well, there's been significant investment in the east in modernizing the sawmills, and I don't think that changes the structure or the requirements of the new agreement.

International Trade committee  I think free trade is a fantastic principle, and one worthy of discussion, but as Duncan said, it is impractical. The problem is that if you stand on a crosswalk when the bus is coming and say, “I have the right of way”, you are dead wrong. The risk to our industry, to the peopl

International Trade committee  One moment, please. You lost me about halfway through. Could you repeat just the latter part?

International Trade committee  We can reach an agreement if both parties want to be practical and reasonable, and I believe that within the Government of Canada and within the majority of the industry there is a willingness on this side. What I am not sure about is whether the counterparty is interested in bei

International Trade committee  There would be litigation. What we need to recognize, especially in the east, is that there has been a lot of work to try to rebuild that industry. It took a disproportionate hit in the last downturn. There has been a lot of investment, especially by the majors within that sector

International Trade committee  The supercalendered paper litigation going on right now is very clearly what we can expect to see on the lumber side. It's not a principle; it's about protecting and enhancing profitability south of the border. If you want a good indication of what happens, regardless of your per

International Trade committee  I would like to speak. For clarification, Eacom is based in Montreal. It's the largest lumber producer in Ontario, so I have an eastern perspective on this. Foreign markets are fantastic for the whole Canadian industry. We will never ship a stick of wood to Japan, China, or I