Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses.
You can really hear the frustration in the comments of our industry stakeholders.
Mr. Bromley, in your comments, you said, “It is time that our government stands up for...our Canadian industry”. I agree. It's time to put Canada first. It's time to stand up for Canada and stand up for our workers and those businesses in the forestry sector.
My God, it's been nine years and three U.S. presidents, and we're still negotiating. Our previous prime minister, a Conservative prime minister, was able to get a deal done in 79 days. This inaction has cost the sector about $9 billion. We're going from a 14% tariff currently.... There are discussions on that doubling next year, and just recently we've had the U.S. president-elect talking about a 25% tariff.
Our Prime Minister recently, in the United States, told a U.S. audience that it's a “small” issue. However, Mr. Bromley, you tell that to the workers in Vanderhoof and Fort St. John; that's 500 workers there. These duties and tariffs have a devastating impact on those communities and companies, including all of those small businesses.
When that announcement was made by Canfor in early September, Brian O'Rourke, president of United Steelworkers Local 1-2017, stated, “In a lot of the smaller rural communities, it's devastating because there are not really transferable jobs within the area”.
Mr. Bromley, how would you assess the Canadian federal government's handling of the softwood lumber negotiations? Do you believe that it has adequately protected the interests of B.C. forestry workers and communities?