A new council to advance British Columbia’s interests in the long-standing softwood lumber dispute with the United States has been unveiled by the province.
The group, which was established today (Wednesday), brings together leaders from the forestry sector and labour, alongside experts on U.S. relations and officials from the B.C. government.
The B.C. Softwood Lumber Advisory Council convened its first meeting on January 30th, and will meet regularly.
It advises the Minister of Forests on the dispute, including the sixth administrative review, providing recommendations on steps B.C. can take to eliminate the 14.4 per cent softwood lumber duties.
In addition, it will also help the Province advocate to the federal government as these duties continue to take their toll on B.C.’s forestry sector.
“The U.S. has imposed unjustified softwood lumber duties on Canada for years, and we anticipate that they will likely double before the end of this year,” said Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests.
“Bringing this team together, I am ready to throw the full weight of B.C. in the ring to fight these duties. We are going to defend the hard-working forestry workers of B.C. from these unfair duties.”
Parmar will chair the council with a focus on diplomatic and trade strategy and measures to fight for B.C.’s interests in the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. Council members are:
* Harry Bains, former minister of labour, Government of B.C.
* Dan Battistella, former president, Interior Lumber Manufacturers’ Association
* Linda Coady, former president and CEO, BC Council of Forest Industries
* Geoff Dawe, national president, Public and Private Workers of Canada
* Rick Doman, chairman, Boreal Carbon Corporation and former forestry executive
* Scott Lunny, western director, United Steelworkers
* Gavin McGarrigle, western regional director, Unifor
* Ric Slaco, former vice-president and chief forester, Interfor
* Dallas Smith, president and CEO, Na̲nwak̲olas Council
“The U.S. forest industry alleges that Canadian softwood lumber is subsidized and companies sell in the U.S. at below-market prices,” Parmar said.
“This is wrong; these allegations couldn’t be farther from the truth. We’ve been very clear that we’re happy to come to the table, but that can’t happen if the U.S. industry isn’t willing to negotiate.”
B.C. softwood lumber accounts for nearly 10 per cent of lumber used to build American homes.
Canada is the U.S.’s largest source of forest product imports, making up 44 per cent in 2023.
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