One of the most enduring trade battles between Canada and the United States is once again heating up. The Softwood Lumber Agreement has expired, and with a protectionist president about to step into the White House, lobby groups south of the border are urging the U.S. government to take action. The fundamental difference between the…

BC’s Forestry Asia Trade Mission has shifted to China after spending a few days in Japan. The mission, led by Forests Minister Steve Thomson, is a continuation of strengthening and formalizing ties with multiple Asian markets, while pitching the exportation of softwood lumber. “China is a $1.2 Billion dollar market for us,” said Thomson via…

The U.S. Lumber Coalition has filed a petition asking the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate Canadian softwood lumber shipments with an eye to potentially levying new duties, kicking off a fresh round of litigation between two countries with a long history of trade disputes over wood. The petition is said to be hundreds of…

A spokesman for International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland says the U.S. Lumber Coalition is expected to submit petitions to the Department of Commerce on Friday, requesting an investigation in the ongoing softwood lumber dispute. Softwood lumber is excluded from the continental trade agreement and lumber producers in both countries continually bicker over whether Canadian companies’…

In the wake of a report that Donald Trump’s transition team would include softwood lumber in future talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), information tabled in the House of Commons this week reveals the cost of managing the contentious file for the federal government. A reply to a written question submitted by Saskatchewan Conservative…

With Donald Trump headed to the White House, observers on this side of the border are wondering what that will mean for trade between the United States and Canada. Of particular interest to people in BC will be the implications on a new softwood lumber deal, as our province accounts for half of Canada’s softwood…

When the Toronto Stock Exchange opened Wednesday, Western Forest Products Inc. stock plunged on the uncertain future of Canada’s softwood lumber industry with the incoming, stoutly protectionist president of the United States. The fortunes of British Columbia’s largest coastal forest company will be tied to how president-elect Donald Trump will change trade relations, just as…

Negotiators for B.C.’s now-expired softwood lumber deal with the U.S. now know who they’re facing in an effort to find an acceptable quota for Canadian wood exports – anti-trade crusader Donald Trump. Trump’s campaign speeches focused on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), characterizing it as the worst trade deal the country has ever…

The standstill agreement on softwood lumber trade expired recently, leaving Canadians holding their breath for the U.S. Lumber Coalition to launch legal proceedings. In the calm before the storm of the next Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, speculation about how the issue will unfold has crystallized around two options: a tax or a quota. The differences…