Canada, U.S. to Meet on Lumber Dispute
Canadian and U.S. officials are scheduled to meet in Ottawa on Tuesday in another attempt to settle their 10-month dispute over softwood lumber shipments, a spokesman for the Canadian Trade Department said.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is sending his deputy, Peter Allgeier, while Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew told his No. 1 official, Deputy Minister Len Edwards, to cancel plans to join Pettigrew on a trade mission in Russia and Germany, Canadian government spokesman Andre Lemay said.
Pettigrew canceled meetings with U.S. officials a week ago after they didn’t come up with a counteroffer to a three-week-old Canadian proposal to end the row. The U.S. hit Canadian shipments of lumber with duties of as much as 38.5% last year, charging that sawmills are subsidized by Canadian provinces. Canada denies the accusation.
“The U.S. is now prepared to re-energize the softwood talks,” Lemay said. “The U.S. is bringing proposals to the table.”
Canada exported $7.5 billion worth of lumber to the U.S. last year, according to government figures.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
