Chrystia Freeland and Jim Carr

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, today issued the following statement… “The Canadian forest industry sustains hundreds of thousands of good, middle class jobs across our country, including in rural and Indigenous communities. The Government of Canada will continue to vigorously defend our industry against protectionist trade measures. Our forest sector is innovative, environmentally responsible and globally competitive – and it represents 7 percent of our exports and contributes $22.3 billion to Canada’s GDP. “The U.S. Department of Commerce’s decision on punitive countervailing and anti-dumping duties against Canada’s softwood lumber producers is unfair, unwarranted and deeply troubling. “…These duties are a tax on American middle class families too, whose homes, renovations and repairs will only be more expensive.