Canadian lumber industry wins U.S. trade court ruling on duties

[CHIMO]

Canadian lumber industry wins U.S. trade court ruling on duties
18:37:58 EDT Jul 14, 2006

VANCOUVER (CP) - The Canadian lumber industry says it has won a judgment in the U.S. Court of International Trade that ensures its American competitors won't get their hands on softwood duties outside the controversial Canada-U.S. lumber deal.

The trade court prohibited the U.S. government from distributing any more of the $4.5 billion US in lumber duties collected since May 2002 under the so-called Byrd Amendment.

The Byrd Amendment to U.S. trade law allowed the distribution of punitive import duties to American companies deemed to have been injured by dumped or subsidized goods. It was repealed after being outlawed by the World Trade Organization but that doesn't take effect until October 2007.

The U.S. trade court had already ruled against applying Byrd to the lumber duties. This new decision blocks distribution of the money.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/business/060714/b071496.html

Traitors at the helm.

[Kagemusha]

1. Traitors..? Excuse me?

Losing a court case is treason how?

[CHIMO]

2. You're Excused

The traitors are not the winners but the ones that are trying to sand bag the whole thing. The Canadian Government.

Softwood deal still being negotiated

The United States is not acknowledging Canada’s North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) arbitration wins. Instead, they are returning funds under a “Compromise of Claims,” Grenier says.

“They are ready to do a deal under the theory that we are guilty as charged. That is the theory and Canada has accepted that.”

The United States wants to use the April 27 resolution to solve future trade disputes with Canada. In essence, they want to circumvent Chapter 19 of NAFTA, which establishes the dispute settlement process.

“Canada will not come out and say they are abandoning Chapter 19, obviously not, (but) the practical effect of this deal will be exactly that,” Grenier says.

http://www.nob.on.ca/industry/forestry/07-06-softwood.asp

[Kagemusha]

3. Then it sounds like a face-saving compromise

with a result that is not dissimilar from the result of simply accepting being beaten over the head by the arbitrator.

Treason's a pretty damn strong word in that context...

[CHIMO]

4. Treason

Is too soft a word.

Throw out NAFTA and deal according the rules of the world.

No arbitration has ruled on anything. This is not a compromise. This is a sell-out.

[Kagemusha]

5. Uh according to what, he with the most guns makes the rules?

Well whatever. I'm just missing the other 90% of what your opinion holds and only seeing what you wrote here. Sorry.

[CHIMO]

6. OK

Just happens to be a defining point for NAFTA and Canada/US relations.

But as "Hewers of wood..." Well I guess that nobody will be upset as long as they have their wood and water.

[applegrove]

8. The WH has tried to diminish any area of NAFTA they can.. forcing

Canadians to go and negotiate anew.. with the UNION. That will not work. And that will be an election issue. Obviously the WH wants economic union. Obviously Canadians feel they are already too close to bullshit central. I look forward to the Liberals making Americans living up to Nafta an election issue. And cannot wait to see Steve Harper have to answer direct questions on North American Union.

Softwood companies are the one industry which is all over Canada. Except for maybe Sask. Every province has a big softwood industry. So to deny sales to Canadian companies.. on the basis of lower stumpage fees.. well it is intellectually dishonest. And hits people across the country with "NAFTA isn't working".

But, when the U.S. builds a fighter jet at $100 million dollars..the USA owns that jet (the U.S. government). And they can regulate the ownnership of said jets with law. In Canada.. Canadian government owns huge amounts of crown lands. They can charge whatever stumpage fee they want. It is their land.

[CHIMO]

9. Province says softwood lumber deal will stall industry

The Saskatchewan government is demanding a meeting with Ottawa to talk about the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber agreement because it says the deal will stunt the province's forestry industry.

Eldon Lautermilch, minister responsible for the forestry secretariat, said Friday the province will ask federal officials to renegotiate the deal because the current one caps provincial lumber sales to the U.S. That will stagnate the industry, he said.

Lautermilch said the deal cuts Saskatchewan's historical access to the U.S. lumber market by about 40 per cent. The provincial government has opposed the deal in a letter to the federal government. Now, he said it has requested a meeting before the deal is voted on in September.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2006/07/14/softwood-opposition.html

[applegrove]

10. Okay..then Lumber is in every single province in Canada. And yes..

the softwood industry should stand up and demand that NAFTA be followed.. or the Canadian government should start to look elsewhere for deals.. Like with the EU. Or China. USA is one "bad actor".

[George1984]

11. We could also

look to things like manufacturing the final products ourselves and sell the finished product to the open market. Then we could set our own price and it would be a "take it or leave it" situation. Sending raw material out and getting penalized for it is ludacris. Take a look at the whole BSE mess, another two years and the cattle industry in Canada would have been on the road to self sustainability. Is that a word :) The U.S meat packers had the power the whole time and when they started feeling the pinch, they lobbied to have the borders opened again. The U.S manufacturing mills have the power here too and when they start closing down because we sent the wood elsewhere or made the final products ourselves, they would lobby, have the tariffs removed and it would be back to the old days.

[applegrove]

12. I like Bob Rae's position on softwood lumber. He says the Liberals

are going to make it a breaking issue for the neocons in Canada. Why would we go for such a deal.. which sets a precedent "undoing" the dispute dispute mechanism by setting new precedent. Then we deminish the NAFTA deal we did get. And all for what?

I really think that is something that Canadians can get behind. Cause I think all industry sees the pattern of obfustication with the GOP and know that if we deminish the NAFTA we do have today.. then we just end up way back as part of even a lesser deal..for the whole future.

I think this is really the end of Harper. I really do.

What sort of leader is so willing to please the Bush WH which has nothing on the agenda than the immediate diminishment of any teeth the trade agreements had. What sort of leader is that for Canada. He claims he is for successful canadians.. but really he is for succesful americans. Successfull canadians should be vary of the Bush dog and pony show... LOOK OVER HERE BUBBLES!!! WHILE THEY STAB YOU AND THE DEAL YOU NEGOTIATED IN THE BACK.

I'm glad the liberals are thinking. I cannot wait for them all to get behind one leader. And go at Harper. On this issue.

[ThsMchneKilsFascists]

7. for the how-manyith time? old news i'm a-feared n/t