Once again Canada has won another key decision concerning softwood lumber exports to our neighbours in the Excited States of America.
While there are many benefits to living above the most powerful nation in the world, the biggest drawback is the protectionist stance the U.S. maintains on softwood. The softwood dispute between Canada and the U.S. did not directly cause the closure of Squamish Lumber but it certainly was a factor.
The softwood dispute may have been just one of a number of factors in bringing down the mill but it is one of the factors that involves an identifiable group. Had the Americans who are pushing hard to restrict the flow of Canadian softwood lumber into the U.S. been silenced a few years ago, our mill might still be running and facing a bright future.
The mill is dead and the future now is bright thanks to the redevelopment possibilities so there is no sense in dwelling on what is firmly in the past at this point.
Dwelling on the softwood issue is worthwhile because it is a significant one for those left in the local forest industry and for the rest of the province. A good example of a company that has weathered the softwood dispute and other industry hardships is CRB Logging. This is a company that is celebrating 50 years in the forest industry and if the U.S. continues to make its exaggerated claims about our lumber industry, then CRB will have trouble in the next 50 years.
The American lumber industry lobby needs to understand that we are just as good as they are (and probably better) at producing reasonably priced lumber. The crippling duties slapped on Canadian lumber needs to be removed and the U.S. needs to stop filing frivolous complaints against Canada. We have a rock solid track record of proving to the U.S. that we are not violating trade rules. The American claims are without merit. Despite that we are making changes to our system to better satisfy their demands for Canadian system revisions.
It is so typically Canadian of us for us to be right, their claims are bogus and yet we are bowing down in the hopes that they'll give us a break and let our lumber flow.
With better product flow into the U.S. we might be able to attract more industrial jobs. Coun. Corinne Lonsdale pointed out this week that we've lost more than our fair share of family-supporting jobs recently and if the Americans maintain their protectionist ways we'll see more of those jobs disappear. Our economic development officer will find it easier to maintain existing forest jobs and attract new forestry ventures if the Americans get a grip and accept that they have lost the softwood battle.
