“The removal of punitive duties on Nova Scotia softwood lumber exports was announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Commerce, after it ruled Nova Scotia’s lumber sector was operating in an open market rather than receiving an unfair subsidy.” Read more in the Chronicle Herald, Nov 2, 2017.
View also ‘A drain on businesses’: N.S. lumber producer pleased to see tariffs gone (CBC, Nov 2, 2017).
View Softwood Lumber posts for some recent history of the softwood lumber dispute.
Which makes me wonder about Robert Taylor’s concern expressed in a presentation to the Nova Scotia Legislature Resources Committee on April 20, 2017*:
You may be aware that Nova Scotia has tentatively reached an agreement with the U.S. for a product exclusion in the SL, softwood lumber, agreement. On the surface, this looks like a positive outcome for our local economy; however, for those of us producing on the domestic market, I can see some big problems looming. For example, lumber from the West Coast mills, facing countervailing duties up to 50 per cent, will likely be shipped here first, saturating our markets before shipping to the U.S. thus hindering local producers in their ability to sell locally. This product exclusion will also hinder our government’s ability to work with industry in any way, as it could be seen as a subsidy, jeopardizing our exclusion with the U.S.
*View also We can “cut less and do more” to foster a healthy forest economy in Nova Scotia (Post on this website, Apr 20, 2017)