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‘Disappointing’ that U.S. going ahead with ‘unjustified’ duties on Canadian lumber: Ng

Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, issued the following statement on Jan. 24 regarding the fourth administrative reviews by the U.S. Department of Commerce of its anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on certain softwood lumber products from Canada:

“With these preliminary results, the U.S. Department of Commerce has indicated its intention to maintain its unjustified duties on imports of Canadian softwood lumber. This is a disappointing decision to many on both sides of our shared border.

“Canada has long been an essential supplier to the U.S. market, and these unjustified duties continue to act as a tax on American consumers, increasing building costs at a time of surging inflation.

“U.S. duties on Canadian softwood hurt forest sector businesses, workers and communities across Canada, and have been ruled illegal by the WTO.

“We will continue to work closely with provinces, territories and industry to defend Canadian interests through all available avenues, including litigation under NAFTA and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and at the WTO.

“Canada remains ready and willing to find solutions that allow for a return to predictable cross-border trade in softwood lumber. We are confident that a negotiated solution to this long-standing issue is in the best interests of both our countries.”

Last year, Canada officially launched a challenge on U.S. duties on softwood lumber under Chapter 10 of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).