The New Brunswick government says they plan to take drastic action to ensure the safety of the province’s softwood lumber industry just days after the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled to no longer exclude Canadian softwood lumber from countervailing duties.
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Three days after the determination was made, the provincial government made the announcement that they’ve partnered with their federal counterparts to ensure the New Brunswick softwood lumber industry remains excluded from countervailing duty charges as it’s been for 35 years.
“We’re continuing to press for an exclusion from the U.S. Department of Commerce decision to impose an unfair and unjust duty on our lumber products,” said Energy and Resource Development Minister Rick Doucet at a press conference held at Fredericton’s Devon Lumber.
“We need to get to the negotiating table,” explained Minister Responsible for Trade Policy Roger Melanson who said he was recently in Boston advocating for New Brunswick’s exclusion. “That’s why we’re encouraging the federal government as they are working hard to do that.”
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The province says they plan to call for immediate negotiations and have announced trade missions to China and Europe in the coming months to help bolster the forestry sector.
“We will appoint a senior negotiator to represent New Brunswick interests in Ottawa and Washington,” Melanson announced.
Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey was also on hand for the announcement and assures that both governments are on the same page and will fight to ensure the status quo remains.
“We fundamentally believe that the decision to impose countervailing duties on the industry in our region is baseless and without fact,” said Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey. “In any negotiated settlement, we will be pursuing that Maritime exclusion for the industry.”
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