Freeland fans flames on U.S. softwood duties

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland leveled criticism against the Commerce Department as final duty orders were issued on imports of softwood lumber from Canada.

   Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland on Jan. 3 knocked the U.S. Commerce Department’s recently announced antidumping (AD) and countervailing (CV) duties against Canadian softwood lumber as “unfair, unwarranted and troubling.”
   “We will continue to work with the provinces and territories, as well as with Canadian industry and workers, to find an enduring solution,” she said in a statement. “Canada will also continue to engage with the U.S. administration and with American legislators to come to a new agreement on softwood lumber.”
   The Commerce Department on Jan. 3 announced CV duties of 3.34 percent to 17.99 percent and AD duties of 6.04 percent to 7.28 percent on softwood lumber imports from Canada, after the International Trade Commission on Dec. 7, issued affirmative AD and CV duty final injury determinations in the case.
   Canada in November announced it was challenging the U.S. AD and CV duties on its softwood at the World Trade Organization and the NAFTA binational AD/CV duty dispute settlement process.
   “The Government of Canada will continue to vigorously defend our industry and its workers against protectionist trade practices,” said Freeland.