QUESTION PERIOD — Global Affairs
Softwood Lumber
September 24, 2024
Leader, on August 13, the United States Department of Commerce hiked their unwarranted and punitive import duties on Canadian softwood lumber from 8% to 14.54%. In response, the BC Lumber Trade Council stated the following:
This couldn’t come at a worse time for BC lumber producers. The increase in US tariffs on BC lumber products will exacerbate the extremely challenging conditions faced by BC producers and will impact manufacturing operations, jobs and communities around the province.
Leader, bearing this in mind, could you tell us why Prime Minister Trudeau called softwood lumber a “small issue” when he appeared on an American celebrity talk show last night?
Thank you for your question. I think, though, to those of us who did watch it, you may be inadvertently taking it somewhat out of context.
The fact remains that the dispute between Canada and the United States over softwood lumber is a long-standing one in which this government and previous governments have prosecuted Canada’s interests effectively, strongly, repeatedly and with great success. Nothing has changed or will change with this government.
In the context of the global challenges facing our country and the United States, the emphasis on these ongoing, inevitable trade challenges and problems between two great trading partners are not to be minimized, but nor should they be blown out of proportion. We deal with them effectively and will continue to do so.
Over the last nine long years, Canada’s softwood lumber industry has heard a lot of empty talk from the Trudeau government about the importance of reaching a new softwood lumber agreement with the United States.
Leader, could you tell us why softwood lumber has never — not once — been mentioned in a mandate letter from the Prime Minister to any of his international trade ministers?
Whether it’s in a mandate letter or not does not change the fact that it is an ongoing subject that is engaging Canada and its representatives in their ongoing, fruitful and multifaceted negotiations with their counterparts in the United States. Deals take two to tango.
Canada has been prosecuting and will continue to prosecute the interests of our softwood producers.
