Clark warns knee-jerk response to softwood duties could undermine talks
VANCOUVER — The softwood lumber dispute sidetracked the British Columbia election campaign Tuesday as every party leader pivoted to address the impact a new tariff will have on a key industry in the province.
Premier Christy Clark held a meeting with members of her cabinet as she suspended campaigning for the May 9 election and cautioned against knee-jerk reactions to the duties that would jeopardize negotiations.
“This needs to be calm. Cooler heads need to prevail,” the Liberal leader said outside a lumber mill in Maple Ridge.
Clark said the government tried to persuade the previous administration of Barack Obama to reach a new deal on softwood, but the U.S. didn’t want to negotiate.