International Trade committee  If you don't mind, I'd like to answer a previous question. You mentioned that it was small American business. Out of that $500 million, a half billion dollars, International Paper stands to receive $150 million. I also have here Plum Creek, also a member of the coalition. It is

International Trade committee  I'll address that, if you don't mind. Before I gave this speech over to the interpreters, I omitted one paragraph. I'd like to read that in at the moment in answer to your question. It's not something I do lightly: Before I proceed any further, I would like to clarify a couple

International Trade committee  First, our association hasn't come out in favour of this agreement. I guess we're the only association that hasn't officially come out. We held an industry-wide meeting. Everyone was asked to attend; not everyone did, of course. We had a vote, a round table, nothing official. It

International Trade committee  Exactly. If the only question were, do you want this deal, and if you don't we'll go back to Washington, carry on litigation, and try to get you a better deal, that's where we'd be today: at the second choice. But we haven't been given that choice. We've been told by the governme

International Trade committee  I think we've heard three times now that “this is the final...”. Every time, they go back and get something else. I don't agree with that.

International Trade committee  To address your concern about High Prairie, at this moment the pine beetle has been found within 100 kilometres of our town. So you can see our concern. One of the responses I heard at an earlier meeting today was that the anti-circumvention clause would look after that, that it

International Trade committee  They were here on July 31, and I'll let that stand. No, I'm here as mayor of High Prairie.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much. Before I start my presentation, I would like to clarify my position here today. I am the current mayor of High Prairie. I am, and have been, employed in the forest industry in Alberta for 40 years. I sit on the board of directors of the Alberta Forest Produc