International Trade committee  That's TBD.

International Trade committee  I think that's a fairly good encapsulation of the general approach we're taking, but I would say it's our litigation across all the fora—not just the WTO—we'd like to see move forward to support that approach.

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. Yes, the Ottawa Group is focused on different aspects of WTO reform and modernization to improve the operation of that institution and ensure it continues to be relevant and at the centre of global trade policy. The appellate body impasse is obviously a very big issue.

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. With the first lumber dispute in 1982, Canada prevailed, but it prevailed at the stage of the investigation, so no duties were ultimately put in place by the United States. Subsequent rounds of the dispute have always been a combination of litigation and a negotiated agreement that managed trade between Canada and the U.S. in the softwood lumber sector for a period of time.

International Trade committee  I certainly can. If I may, I'll just take about 30 seconds to say that, for all of this money, none of it is going to programming. For example, none of it is going to, say, an advocacy campaign in the United States. It supports the engagement of officials at Global Affairs Canada to do the things that you described, including to engage in advocacy to support our litigation approach.

International Trade committee  The Americans have communicated to us that they're not interested in negotiating at this time, so an envoy whose job would be to focus on advancing the negotiations I would assume falls very much into that category.

International Trade committee  At this point in time....

International Trade committee  I'll invite Mr. Owen to speak to this.

International Trade committee  I think I'll defer to Mr. Owen on this, in the first instance.

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. I'll give you a preliminary answer and then ask my colleagues to elaborate. I think there are a variety of reasons. Other markets are far away. Other markets do not have the history of wood frame construction that is common in North America. Teaching and informing consumers in these countries how to build wood frame construction and how to use softwood lumber in the construction industry takes time.

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. If the United States has concerns with respect to Bill C-282 or its impact on Canada's ability to engage on issues affecting supply management, it will not wait for the occasion of negotiations on softwood lumber to bring those concerns to our attention.

International Trade committee  Thank you for the question. Yes, we have excellent contacts with the NAHB. We've worked with them over successive rounds of this dispute going back many years. They do strongly support the Canadian view. They understand the importance of access to Canadian softwood lumber to support the efforts of their members and to ensure affordability for housing in the United States.

International Trade committee  Again, thank you for the question. You can imagine that anybody who uses softwood lumber in the United States has an interest in ensuring the affordability of the softwood lumber they use. In addition to the home builders, we have worked in the past with big-box retailers, such as Home Depot, to ensure that they have an adequacy of supply of softwood lumber.

International Trade committee  They have allies in Washington, but so does the American softwood lumber industry.

International Trade committee  I would have to come back to you with an exhaustive list of the groups with whom the Minister of International Trade has met in the United States. We do meet regularly at the ministerial and officials level with the NAHB and with other groups. We've also held meetings directly with representatives of the U.S. softwood lumber coalition in the past.