Canada softwood industry seeks China sales, as Trump widens trade attack
OTTAWA — As Donald Trump added softwood lumber to his anti-Canada trade rhetoric Thursday, Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was on his way to China with an entourage of industry representatives looking for an alternative to the U.S. market.
One senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity characterized one portion of the visit as a “trade-mission oriented trip on softwood.” New Brunswick, Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario producers were all represented.
“For all sorts of reasons, we’re striking while the opportunity is ripe, to showcase, to take companies with us to promote them,” said the official, who wasn’t authorized to publicly discuss details of the trip.
Estimates of how much of Canada’s softwood lumber is shipped to the U.S. are as high as 70 per cent, but the Trudeau government has placed a priority on finding new trade markets in Asia — especially China — for a variety of goods and services.