Today in the Senate, Senator Ringuette again questioned the Leader of the government in the Senate on the Softwood Lumber Agreement and demanded that Senator LeBreton tables the proposed deal and refers it to the Senate’s Standing Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce so it can be reviewed.
This Tuesday, our own Canadian Forest Industry had no choice but to file a lawsuit against the Conservative government because the conservatives turned their back on them and bowed to ‘The George Bush Protectionist Lumber Plan’. The Canadian Forest industry is letting every Canadian know that they have been abandoned by their own government.
“Harper’s Conservative government has conspired with the Bush government to prevent the Canadian Forest Industry from finalizing a decision with the NAFTA panel. That is the same Industry that has invested millions in our economy and in jobs for rural communities, on the belief that their own government would be by their side helping them and protecting them via the NAFTA agreement. Even a senior federal trade negotiator stated that the agreement is nothing more then U.S. protectionism that will leave our industry and our communities without hope” declared Senator Ringuette.
That is why Senator Ringuette has asked for a fourth time that the Leader of the government in the Senate tables the potential Softwood Lumber Agreement and refers it, for a full study, to the Standing Committee of Banking, Trade and Commerce. She believes Senator LeBreton needs to put an end to the Conservative’s culture of secrecy and table the document so it can be fully reviewed and studied.