Prince George, B.C.- There are some encouraging words coming from the  Federal Government  and the U.S.  on the  Softwood Lumber  Agreement talks.Prime Minister Trudeau and U.S. President Barrack Obama have  made it clear they are committed  to  achieving a new softwood lumber agreement  by this fall.

That commitment  has B.C’s Minister of Forests, Steve Thomson  smiling, but he is also pleased to see that both Prime Minister Trudeau, and U.S. President Barrack Obama recognize the need for  “regional provisions and flexibility” in a negotiated agreement “We remain hopeful that an equitable agreement will be reached that will provide stability and business certainty for lumber producers on both sides of the border” says Thomson.

If an agreement cannot  be reached  by this fall, Thomson says  B.C. is confident it can successfully defend its forest policies  should the U.S.  launch  action.

President of the BC Lumber Trade Council, Susan Yurkovich,  is also encouraged by the  commitment of the two  senior governments to reach a deal.

In a prepared statement on the  discussions,  Yurkovich  says “Market share has always been a central feature of past trade agreements, including the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA).  We are pleased that both governments recognize the need for an agreement that provides flexibility in approaches in achieving that objective.  The ability to choose between an export tax model and a hard cap volume restriction, similar to the structure of the 2006 SLA, has been an important principle for the BC industry throughout these discussions.”

Her statement  says the BC Lumber Trade Council  believes that  a properly designed  agreement  can provide certainty and stability for lumber producers on both sides of the border “Completing a new agreement would also allow us to continue the important work being undertaken with the U.S. industry to jointly grow the market for wood products both domestically and internationally.”