Russ Taylor

Over the course of my fifty-year career, I have never seen so much misinformation, distortion and political theatre as in 2025. …The recent surge in rhetoric and written attacks aimed at Canada and its softwood lumber industry has been both amusing and perplexing. …The momentum of misinformation continues, with US protectionism and the unrealistic notion of self-sufficiency in softwood lumber production being vigorously promoted. The underlying strategy is clear: penalize all exporters with tariffs to reduce imports, leverage US Trade Law to escalate Canadian duties, inflate US lumber prices, and thus force US lumber buyers to subsidize domestic timber and lumber producers. In this climate, free or fair trade has become undesirable for American lumber companies, especially since the burden of higher-priced lumber—both domestic and imported due to excessive tariffs—is ultimately borne by consumers, home builders and renovators.

US Trade Law has evolved into a permanent tool against Canadian lumber imports, relying on complex methodology to produce calculated duties. Paired with the current US tariff policy, these mechanisms serve to work against all lumber exporters to the US. …While hard facts are the foundation of sound analysis, the intentionally opaque nature of the duty and tariff system makes accessing reliable data difficult. …In conclusion, I urge people to revisit President Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech on free trade and tariffs, as well as the reports of numerous economists who oppose tariffs. The United States will continue to require billions of board feet of Canadian and other imported lumber. Tariffs will only heighten price volatility and drive prices higher. Fair trade stands to benefit both consumers and producers on both sides of the border, whereas protectionism will result in distinct winners and losers.