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U.S. Lumber Coalition backs robust trade law enforcement against Canada’s ‘unfair lumber practices’

The U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday announced the final determination of a combined anti-subsidy and anti-dumping duty rate of 7.99 per cent in the fourth annual review of what the U.S. Lumber Coalition said is “unfairly traded Canadian softwood lumber imports into the U.S.” The review covers lumber imported in calendar year 2021.

“The softwood lumber trade cases help offset Canadian lumber subsidies and dumping, allowing U.S. lumber manufacturers to compete in a fair market, invest in their businesses, and supply more U.S. lumber milled by U.S. workers to build U.S. homes,” said Andrew Miller, chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition and CEO of Stimson Lumber.

In a statement, the coalition said the U.S. lumber industry established its right to the imposition of antidumping and countervailing duties “in the face of unfair competition from Canada in 2017”, and that the industry continues to vigorously defend the existence and enforcement of those duties in all appropriate fora.

“Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws by the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission is exactly what must happen for enduring expansion of U.S. lumber manufacturing and availability to meet demand to build more American homes,” said Miller.

“Failure to fully enforce the trade laws would only undermine long-term confidence in expanding U.S. sawmilling capacity and jobs in the American softwood lumber industry, which could cause significant supply disruptions for the U.S. market,” added Miller.

The U.S. industry remains open to a new U.S.–Canada softwood lumber trade agreement, the association said. “Canada’s lumber industry to date has not been able to agree on a unified position to present to the Canadian federal government to request initiation of government-to-government negotiations with the United States. Until this happens, the U.S. Lumber Coalition fully supports the continued strong enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to address Canada’s unfair softwood lumber trade practices,” the association’s statement said.