Speech (House debate)

{
    "time": "2006-09-27 15:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Mr. Yvon L\u00e9vesque (Abitibi\u2014Baie-James\u2014Nunavik\u2014Eeyou, BQ)",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"62987\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Mr. Speaker, I heard my colleague from <a data-HoCid=\"78519\" href=\"/politicians/bill-siksay/\" title=\"Bill Siksay\">Burnaby\u2014Douglas</a> say that it was his understanding that certain members of the Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois felt uncomfortable about supporting the bill as it stood. I would like to clarify our position. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"62988\" data-originallang=\"fr\">We are not really uncomfortable. We know that this is a bad agreement. However, just as forest companies in British Columbia need to sell off their wood because the situation is urgent, for Quebec, as well, we can no longer put off this agreement. By not offering loan guarantees, the current government and the previous government refused to help businesses stay afloat during negotiations and while awaiting the final court rulings regarding the cases pending. Otherwise, it would have been possible for businesses\u2014whether in Quebec, British Columbia or Ontario\u2014to stay afloat, and to challenge the American government and its lobbyists in order to definitively obtain justice.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"62989\" data-originallang=\"fr\">We now have an opening, since we are told that the agreement signed will not necessarily last seven years, as originally planned. In fact, anyone can put an end to this agreement, including British Columbia, or I believe so, in any case. Thus, once British Columbia has sold off its wood, will it change tactics and demand that the agreement be reopened? We would then find ourselves in negotiations once again, maybe nearly as long as these have been. Perhaps the future government called upon to debate the case will resolve it for good.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"62987\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Monsieur le Pr\u00e9sident, j'ai entendu mon coll\u00e8gue de <a data-HoCid=\"78519\" href=\"/politicians/bill-siksay/\" title=\"Bill Siksay\">Burnaby\u2014Douglas</a> qui disait avoir cru comprendre que certains d\u00e9put\u00e9s du Bloc qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois \u00e9taient mal \u00e0 l'aise quant \u00e0 l'appui au projet de loi tel que pr\u00e9sent\u00e9. J'aimerais pr\u00e9ciser notre position. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"62988\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Nous ne sommes pas vraiment mal \u00e0 l'aise. Nous savons que c'est une mauvaise entente. Toutefois, autant les compagnies foresti\u00e8res de la Colombie-Britannique ont besoin d'\u00e9couler leur bois car il y a une urgence, autant, au Qu\u00e9bec, on ne peut retarder l'entente. En n'offrant pas de garanties de pr\u00eat, le gouvernement actuel et le gouvernement pr\u00e9c\u00e9dent ont refus\u00e9 d'aider les entreprises \u00e0 se maintenir \u00e0 flot pendant la n\u00e9gociation, de m\u00eame qu'en attendant les d\u00e9cisions finales de la cour au regard des causes pendantes. N'e\u00fbt \u00e9t\u00e9 de cela, il aurait \u00e9t\u00e9 possible pour les entreprises, autant celles du Qu\u00e9bec que celles de la Colombie-Britannique ou de l'Ontario, de se maintenir \u00e0 flot et d'affronter le gouvernement am\u00e9ricain et ses lobbyistes pour obtenir d\u00e9finitivement gain de cause. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"62989\" data-originallang=\"fr\">Maintenant, il y a une ouverture, car on nous dit que l'entente sign\u00e9e actuellement ne durera pas n\u00e9cessairement les sept ans pr\u00e9vus. En effet, n'importe qui peut mettre fin \u00e0 cette entente, comme la Colombie-Britannique \u2014 en tout cas, c'est mon opinion. Ainsi, quand elle aura \u00e9coul\u00e9 son bois, est-il possible que la Colombie-Britannique change son fusil d'\u00e9paule et demande la r\u00e9ouverture de cette entente? On se retrouverait alors dans des n\u00e9gociations presque aussi longues que celles qu'on a connues. Il faudrait peut-\u00eatre que le futur gouvernement qui sera appel\u00e9 \u00e0 d\u00e9battre de ce cas se rende alors jusqu'au bout. </p>"
    },
    "url": "/debates/2006/9/27/yvon-levesque-1/",
    "politician_url": "/politicians/yvon-levesque/",
    "politician_membership_url": "/politicians/memberships/477/",
    "procedural": false,
    "source_id": "1657191",
    "h1": {
        "en": "Government Orders",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "h2": {
        "en": "Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006",
        "fr": ""
    },
    "document_url": "/debates/2006/9/27/",
    "related": {
        "document_speeches_url": "/speeches/?document=%2Fdebates%2F2006%2F9%2F27%2F"
    }
}