Politicians from B.C. and Ottawa will meet in Vancouver today for a forestry summit on how to prop up the industry in the face of American fees and tariffs topping 50 per cent.
Federal politicians including Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, along with B.C. Premier David Eby and his forests and jobs ministers, are set to discuss ways to support workers and businesses being hammered by the increased fees.
In September, the Americans imposed anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian companies ranging from 26 per cent to more than 47 per cent, and then added another 10 per cent last month, claiming Canada’s industry is a U.S. national security threat.
B.C.’s goal for the summit is to push for more federal help for the industry that employs tens of thousands of workers in the province.
The softwood lumber dispute has been a friction point for decades, with the United States imposing duties alleging Canada subsidizes its industry.
The B.C. Council of Forest Industries issued a statement last month on behalf of businesses, unions and other industry groups, saying the government must bring the same urgency to the lumber file as it has to disputes with the U.S. over steel, aluminum and energy.
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