Jim Carr

The federal government vowed to aggressively defend Canada’s softwood lumber industry after the U.S. International Trade Commission unanimously voted that American producers have been harmed by imports of subsidized Canadian lumber. “We will stand shoulder to shoulder with the forestry sector in Canada,” Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told reporters in Ottawa. Carr called the duties unnecessary and said Canada has already launched challenges under both the North American Free Trade Agreement and at the World Trade Organization. The NAFTA dispute panel has to make a ruling by next fall. The WTO process could take years. “We have fought them before and we’ll continue to defend Canada’s interests,” Carr said.