The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced preliminary anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber. The duties, a response to a petition filed by the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations (COALITION), are set at as follows: “Canfor 7.72 percent; Tolko 7.53 percent; West Fraser 6.76 percent and Resolute 4.59 percent. Other Canadian producers will pay 6.87 percent, raising the overall punitive tariffs to a weighted average of 26.75 percent.”
“These duties stand to impact hard working men and women in our mill communities across Canada,” says Derek Nighbor, CEO, Forest Products Association of Canada. “The duties are unwarranted and without merit. These duties will have a negative impact not only here in Canada but also on U.S. consumers. Currently, American demand for lumber far exceeds what the American industry is able to produce. They need Canada’s softwood lumber.”
Canada is the largest softwood lumber exporter to the United States. The Canadian forest products industry is vital to the national economy and the economies of many forest dependent communities across the country. The sector is one of Canada’s largest employers, providing 230,000 direct jobs and supporting
-30-
FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $67-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2% of Canada’s GDP and is one of Canada’s largest employers operating in hundreds of rural and northern communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.
For more information contact:
Richard Walker
Senior Director, Communications and Public Affairs
Forest Products Association of Canada
rwalker@fpac.ca 613-563-1441 x 314
Follow us on Twitter: @FPAC_APFC
