U.S. lumber industry expected to heat up ongoing softwood lumber dispute
OTTAWA — 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 have cheap access to public forests and whether that constitutes an illegal subsidy.
Freeland’s press secretary, Alex Lawrence, says Canada is prepared for any situation, and the government will “vigorously defend” the interests of Canadian workers and producers.
At the APEC summit in Peru last weekend, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed the dispute with U.S. President Barack Obama and Freeland met with U.S. trade representative Michael Froman.