Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council Statement on U.S. Trade Challenge

EDMONTON, Nov. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - David Anderson, Co-Chair of the Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council, has issued the following statement regarding trade actions initiated today by the U.S. lumber lobby. 

"We are disappointed but not surprised by the U.S. lobby's decision to proceed with litigation.  They have long sought to limit Canada's access to the American lumber market, and their petition filing was anticipated.

The U.S. lumber lobby's arguments are not supported by facts, and are similar to claims that were made in previous rounds of trade litigation and rejected by independent panels.  The position of our council and industry is that Canadian lumber manufacture is not subsidized and does not cause injury to the American industry, and we are confident that position will again prevail.

With the U.S. economy growing, and housing and construction starts on the rise, it will take the combined production of U.S. and Canada lumber industries to provide adequate, high quality and affordable lumber for the North American markets. This new action by the U.S. lumber lobby will drive up prices for U.S. consumers while harming our forest industry.

The Alberta industry believes reaching a new agreement is in the best interests of producers and consumers on both sides of the border, and we have been working with our colleagues across Canada and with the federal and provincial governments to that end. The Government of Canada has tabled a series of proposals that address the concerns of the U.S. industry and could provide a durable resolution to this dispute.

We appreciate the efforts of our federal and Alberta governments to obtain a negotiated settlement and will support their ongoing work. While keeping the door open to further negotiation, we want a fair and sustainable deal for Alberta and Canada and will be fully prepared to defend our sector's interests."

The Alberta forest industry is a major contributor to the provincial economy and supports approximately 57,000 direct and indirect jobs in over 70 communities in Alberta.

SOURCE Alberta Softwood Lumber Trade Council

David Anderson, Co-Chair, ASLTC, [email protected]; 780-486-8238