Minister Ng meets with Canadian softwood lumber producers

The Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade, as part of her ongoing engagement with the sector, met with Canadian forestry producers to discuss trade issues related to softwood lumber. This meeting with leaders in the industry follows similar meetings held last month with representatives from the forestry sector.

Minister Ng reiterated the government’s commitment to defending Canada’s forest industry, workers, and the communities it supports from the unwarranted and damaging U.S. duties on softwood lumber.

During the meeting, the Minister welcomed discussions with industry participants on their expectations regarding market conditions, including product demand and pricing, and related impacts for both producers and consumers. She reiterated Canada’s commitment to maintaining an open dialogue and seeking solutions that best support its industry, workers, and communities.

Quick facts

• In Canada, the prices of lumber and other building materials are determined by international market forces.
• On May 21, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce released the preliminary results of its second administrative reviews of U.S. anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders on certain softwood lumber products from Canada.
• The preliminary results, which do not take effect, propose a combined anti-dumping and countervailing duty rate of 18.32%, more than twice the current combined rate of 8.99%. Final results, which may differ, are expected later this year.

This is an excerpt from the Global Affairs website https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2021/07/minister-ng-meets-with-canadian-softwood-lumber-producers.html