24 April 2001

US Initiation of Lumber Investigations

The following is a statement from The Honourable Pierre Pettigrew, PC, MP.

On April 23, the U.S. Department of Commerce initiated countervailing and antidumping investigations of softwood lumber exports from Canada. This decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce is quite disappointing and unjustified, given the ample documentation supplied by Canadian governments and industry regarding the deficiencies of the petitions.

Our legal team has reviewed the U.S. petitions, and we believe there is no evidence of subsidy, dumping or injury to U.S. industry.

We have already taken a number of steps to defend our softwood lumber industry, including challenging U.S. legislation before the World Trade Organization and closely monitoring Canadian lumber exports to counter false U.S. claims.

We continue to consult closely with industry stakeholders and provincial governments. This is the fourth time in twenty years that U.S. industry has taken trade action against Canadian softwood lumber producers. On all previous occasions, the United States has taken trade action against Canadian lumber exports and has failed to sustain a finding of illegal subsidies to Canadian producers.