John Horgan

The softwood lumber dispute has hit a “bit of a Groundhog Day loop,” Premier John Horgan said Thursday, as the U.S. Department of Commerce issued its final determination for punitive duties against Canadian lumber imports. Horgan said Canada and the U.S. had a narrow window to reach a trade agreement, but negotiations couldn’t get past protectionist interests in the U.S. industry. …“It’s a narrow group who stand to personally benefit from this, that leads us to this debate every decade or so,” Horgan said during a press conference the province called to announce its support for Canada’s appeal of the duties. “Now we have to continue with what has become a bit of a Groundhog Day loop,” Horgan said, alluding to the Bill Murray comedy about living the same event over and over, “through litigations and tribunals.”