Dear Editor
I am writing about the May 2, 2017, article about the softwood lumber issue. I first am surprised that the fifth estate has a political preference as this article has the sense of an advertisment for Ritz and his conservative party.
To relay the truth, the softwood issue has been around since the 1950s. It was only in 1982 that the U.S. government attacked our lumber industry by way of a tariff on all Canadian wood products, because they deemed our way of paying stumpage fees did not fit their failing open markets. In 1986, a second U.S. tariff again sticks it to us, a 15 per cent increase. 1991, a third agreement, again stiffed for 10 per cent more. 1996, a fourth agreement and again the U.S. whines and we give in to a moratoriam on how much lumber we can cut. 2002, U.S. says Canada unfair, imposes 18.79 per cent tariff, with an aditional 8.43 per cent, combined rate of 27.22 per cent.
May 27, 2002, the World Trade Organization ruled in favour of Canada that the U.S. has no right or legal right to impose any tariffs or trade barriers. January 2004, WTO final ruling citing U.S. unfair trade practices. 2005, Canadian government had to reimburse softwood lumber asspociation $20 million for legal costs to fight the Americans.
Last month Trump babbled out, as he can about soft wood lumber. We have been dealing with the U.S. for a long time, and they have been told by two world courts, and they will continue.
The day that Trump was babbling, Trudeau was having tea, literally, with the trade minister for China, and four major trade partners from China. That’s what we need to do, is trade elswhere. The U.S. wants our lumber for nothing, and it cost us money. China loves our lumber and they are not broke and they won’t try to charge us for selling our own product.
I would like to see a new way of goverment, togetherness for Canada. I know we have a liberal goverment, but I would like to see Mr. Ritz have coffee with Chinese business people, any people, just not the Americans. No more.
Bernard Hughes
Battleford
