Canada challenges US softwood lumber duties under USMCA trade pact
The Globe and Mail | 29 August 2022
Canada challenges US softwood lumber duties under USMCA trade pact
By The Canadian Press
International Trade Minister Mary Ng says Canada is formally initiating a challenge against “unwarranted and unfair” U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber.
The Canadian government filed notice of the challenge Monday under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement’s dispute resolution system.
Ms. Ng says in a statement that the duties harm Canadian businesses and workers but also serve as a tax on U.S. consumers already dealing with inflation and supply-chain issues.
The U.S. cut its anti-dumping and countervailing duty rate in half earlier this month to 8.59 per cent from 17.61 per cent, but Ms. Ng signalled that Canada would still fight the measures.
The crux of the U.S. argument is that the stumpage fees provinces charge for timber harvested from Crown land are akin to subsidies, since U.S. producers must instead pay market rates.
Ms. Ng says that Canada is willing to work toward a negotiated solution in the long-running dispute.
