Consumer group urges Canada not to sign softwood lumber deal

Consumer group urges Canada not to sign softwood lumber deal    A Washington-based consumer group Tuesday urged the Canadian government to withhold its approval on a U.S. proposal that aims to end the softwood lumber dispute between the United States and Canada.
   Consumers for World Trade Executive Director Robin Lanier, in a letter to Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew, said the proposal 'is a bad deal for Canadian lumber producers and the many U.S. consumers who continue to pay more for lumber than they should.'
   Lanier said the proposal was 'negotiated behind closed doors without the participation of lumber consumers, limits imports of Canadian softwood lumber to 31.5 percent of the U.S. market with a U.S. fee of $200 per 1,000 board feet for imports above that percentage. She said the U.S. proposal 'would insure that consumers continue to pay more for lumber by limiting exports as the two countries did in the late 1990s.'
   U.S.-imposed dumping duties are under dispute at the World Trade Organization and under the North American Free Trade Agreement. Lanier urged Canada to not drop its suits pending in the WTO and NAFTA.
   Consumers for World Trade is a non-profit, non-partisan organization formed in 1978 that aims to represent consumers in international trade policy.