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B.C. ministers’ statement on softwood lumber final ruling

British Columbia’s Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston, and Jagrup Brar, Minister of State for Trade, have issued the following joint statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s final determination in its fourth administrative review regarding countervailing and antidumping duties applied to Canada’s softwood lumber exports to the United States:

“We strongly disagree with the United States Department of Commerce’s claims. The federal and B.C. governments have been clear and adamant from the outset: duties on B.C. and Canadian softwood lumber exports to the U.S. are unjustified. British Columbia’s 52,000 hard-working forest industry workers deserve better than these unwarranted barriers to their prosperity, and we will continue to fight against these duties.

“In B.C., we are building a forestry sector focused on sustainability, and we continue to provide markets around the world with the highest-quality timber. However, U.S. duties are hurting people on both sides of our shared border, increasing material costs for Americans and creating uncertainty for forestry professionals and communities here at home.

“Forestry is a foundational industry here in B.C., and we will always stand firm against any unfair actions taken against our forestry workers. This includes relentlessly pursuing our claim through all available avenues, including under the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, and the World Trade Organization.

“We continue to work with the federal government, provincial partners and our forest industry, and we are determined to see a just outcome for B.C.’s forest sector.”