OTTAWA — Steve Verheul used to get under the American trade negotiator’s skin. …Eventually, the Americans forged a deal with the Mexicans and Canadians, and in 2018 signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. …Now, as Trump slams Canada and Mexico with new tariffs, Verheul and a pair of trade veterans want to save the USMCA. …Verheul is co-launching the Coalition for North American Trade, a three-nation business group advocating for the long-term benefits of free trade. The CNAT is the brainchild of Kevin Brady, the Republican former chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. …Earlier this year, the trio launched their coalition and today, they’re bringing their pitch to Washington. …But until tariffs disappear, Verheul sees no prospect for productive talks. “I think the only hope is that the impact on the US economy, and the stock market, and various companies is extreme enough to create pushback within the US,” he says.
GENEVA — Canada has requested consultations with the United States on “unjustified tariffs” at the 
WASHINGTON — A day into Donald Trump’s North American trade war, the U.S. president remained adamant that tariffs would benefit America even as a key member of his team has floated that a compromise could materialize Wednesday. Trump addressed a joint session of Congress Tuesday night by making a case for his massive tariff agenda. …Ottawa introduced immediate 25% retaliatory tariffs. …Following a second day of sharp decline, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said… the government was looking to “work something out” in a deal that could be announced on Wednesday. …Lutnick tied the deal to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico agreement, which was negotiated under the first Trump administration to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. …Trump also ordered 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports into the United States on March 12… m[and he] signed an executive order to implement “reciprocal tariffs” starting April 2. Other tariff targets include automobiles, copper, lumber and agricultural products.
Overnight, Jake Power went from reflecting on one of the best months that his Agassiz-based custom sawmill has ever had to staring into a potential recession sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Power, along with every other British Columbian, woke up to the reality of a trade war. …“Our business was growing, our customers were doing well,” said Power, CEO of Power Wood. “Now, I think we all expect a North American recession if this continues.” …Premier David Eby declared that “all bets are off” in terms of his response to standing up for the province. …Trade economist Werner Antweiler said he worries the most about B.C.’s forest industry, which was “already struggling (at) the edge of profitability.” …There is another looming danger in a trade war if it results in continuing depreciation of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. currency, according to economist Bryan Yu.
China suspended on Tuesday the soybean import licences of three U.S. firms and halted imports of U.S. logs, stepping up its retaliation for Donald Trump’s decision to impose an extra 10% duty on China. …The suspension of U.S. logs was a direct response to Trump’s move on March 1 to order a trade investigation on imported lumber. Trump had earlier told reporters that he was thinking about imposing a 25% tariff rate on lumber and forest products. “The announcement of import restrictions on U.S lumber and soybeans linked with phytosanitary issues follows a long history of similar measures by Beijing,” said Even Pay, agriculture analyst at Trivium China. …China is one of the world’s largest importers of wood products and the third-largest destination for U.S. forest products. It imported around $850 million worth of logs and other rough wood products from the U.S. in 2024, according to Chinese customs data.
AUGUSTA, Maine — Tariffs on Canadian imports and Ottawa’s retaliation on American goods could sever—or at least strain—the close ties between the forest product industries of Maine and eastern Canada. The state exported $775 million in forest products to Canada in 2023. …Much of the wood Maine sends across the border is in the form of raw logs, according to Dana Doran of Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast. The timber goes to Canada for processing… and the finished wood products are then frequently re-imported and sold in Maine. …Doran has doubts that these tariff efforts will achieve their intended effect of boosting domestic production. “Most of those Canadian manufacturers have already invested in the United States,” Doran said. …However, others acknowledge that—even if foreign companies benefit—shifting the processing of wood back into the U.S. aligns with the White House’s protectionist aims.
Lumber prices have risen to their highest level in more than two years on news that U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into softwood imports from Canada. The lumber probe is the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the neighbouring countries. Analysts say that the investigation lays the groundwork for potential new %Tariffs on Canadian lumber, notably softwood imports. …Consequently, lumber futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have risen 3.5% over the past day to trade at $657 U.S. per 1,000 board feet, the highest level since mid-2022. However, while lumber prices are marching higher on the threat of U.S. tariffs, the stocks of Canadian lumber companies are tanking. Shares of Interfor fell 9% while the stock of %Canfor declined 6% in Toronto trading on March 4, the day that the 25% tariffs went into effect.
The Trump administration is moving at a record pace on a varied list of priorities, but insiders hope a focus on housing will remain at the top of the agenda in 2025. With housing affordability a central focus, bills addressing zoning, permitting, workforce development, and taxes are taking shape. …Despite all these areas of concern, one concern looms largest – tariffs. Approximately 22% of the products used in the average home are imported from China, 70% of lumber used in construction is sourced from Canada, and Mexico is the largest provider of gypsum. …The NAHB has advocated for an exemption for building materials, and the association continues to engage in conversations with lawmakers about the harmful effects these tariffs could have on housing affordability. NAHB’s Karl Eckhart says “These Canadian and Mexican tariffs are going to have a direct and painful impact on the price to build a house.”
Planning, design and construction must adapt to this new world of tariffs and trade barriers. Canada has already imposed its own tariffs on products made in the US… but it is not just about materials and products; we must change what we build and where we build it. Some ideas for a Patriotic Canadian Built Environment: 1) More Mass Timber. Nordic, Element 5, Structurecraft and others have made major investments in mass timber, much of which is exported south. If the industry is to survive, we need a massive pivot to mass timber construction in Canada. …2) Make Canadian Wood Fibre Insulation. TimberHP in Maine has shown how a pulp and paper-based timber economy can pivot to insulation. …3) Electrify everything. Canada is an electricity powerhouse. Make every building Passivhaus to reduce demand and increase resilience. …4) Restructure from north-south to east-west. …5) More renovation and retrofit. …6) Design for a Sufficiency Economy. …7) Ban Sprawl.
President Trump is promising to unleash the US timber industry by allowing companies to raze swaths of federally protected national forests. …His order — which calls for the ramping up of the domestic timber production to avoid reliance on “foreign producers” — was followed by sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian products, including lumber. …However, it’s more complex than simply swapping out Canadian imports for homegrown timber, said industry experts. …Meanwhile, environmental groups say clearcutting national forests will pollute the air and water and exacerbate climate change. Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, referred to multiple organizations that have released statements of support about opening up federal land for logging, including the American Loggers Council, the American Forest Resource Council and the Forest Landowners Association. Increasing logging on federal lands would increase the supply of logs for US industry, said FEA’s Rocky Goodnow… but it won’t replace Canadian imports in the near term.
