International Trade committee  I believe you're right to think that given the current structural crisis, there will still be some restructuring in Quebec. Some companies will survive for a few extra months. However, that will not solve the structural crisis. Again, your point is well taken.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Madam Secretary of State, Members of Parliament, allow me, to begin with, to introduce the Quebec forest industry and in so doing, show you that practically nowhere else is there an industry of such complexity. We have both integrated and non-integrated

International Trade committee  A botched agreement absolutely would not have been amended with respect to the substantive points we have raised. It's as clear as that. When you do something knowing that the results will be negative, I say it's botched. When you believe in the changes, you fight for those chang

International Trade committee  The gentleman wanted me to speak. First, I would say that relations with our government are good. The same is true with senior officials, and we'll even be meeting again tomorrow morning. They know our viewpoint, they know our analysis of the U.S. document, they also know the typ

International Trade committee  I'm not sure a big business is in a better position than a small one. A small one is subject to fewer standards than a multinational and it no doubt doesn't have any unions, whereas a big business has one that's probably very aggressive. I'm convinced that the financial health of

International Trade committee  I don't want to play the devil's advocate, but it should not be overlooked that a challenge of the constitutionality of the NAFTA treaty was possible, not to mention the disputes that are before the NAFTA bodies and the international trade tribunals. Put all that together.

International Trade committee  I understand, but madam was asking how much time it would have taken if we had followed through with the legal processes. I supposed that included all the legal challenge options.

International Trade committee  I don't want to get into the legal details of all the briefings I had, but I will tell you that we clearly don't want Lumber V. We know the costs that represents and I say that with all due respect to those charming legal men. This is an enormous and prohibitive cost to the indu

International Trade committee  If I wrote it down, it's because this is serious.

International Trade committee  It's stronger when you write it than when you say it. In our opinion, it's written and we think that the government will have to correct this document. That's clear. I won't speak on behalf of my members. I don't have that democratic habit. It will be up to our businesses to stat

International Trade committee  Yes on some points, and no on others. We have only singled out the points that do not comply with the spirit of the agreement. I'll give you an example. In the first paragraphs of the American document—the only one I've officially seen—they clearly want us to agree that our indu

International Trade committee  We'll try to be brief. I'll start with the second question and answer it quickly. You can do things fast and well, since, as they say, whatever is left lying around just gets dirtier. However, we don't like things done at the last minute. That addresses your first question. If

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon, madam, gentlemen and colleagues in the forest industry. Mr. Chairman, I begin by thanking you for the opportunity to address your Committee. As you know, the Quebec Forest Industry Council is the principal spokesman for the forest indust