Prince George, B.C. – While  Federal  officials from  Canada and the United States have agreed to continue Softwood Lumber  Agreement talks,  the  one year standstill period  in the wake of  the end of the Softwood Lumber Agreement with the U.S. is over.

Susan Yurkovich, President of the BC Lumber Trade Council (BCLTC) is  hopeful a new deal can be reached soon “The BC Lumber Trade Council continues to believe that a new agreement, if properly designed, is in the best interests of producers, consumers, home builders and workers in the industry 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.”

Yurkovich  says a new deal would  avoid  “another lengthy trade dispute that creates uncertainty, hurts consumers and producers, and impedes the growth of the North American market.” Having said that, Yurkovich  says the BC Lumber Trade Council is prepared to  defend the  industry  against possible trade actions  launched by the U.S.”

BC stands the most to lose  with  the lack  of an agreement as this province is the largest Canadian exporter of softwood lumber to the United States.   Two major  forestry  players,  Canfor and West Fraser,  have  positioned themselves well against any  such trade dispute, as both have purchased lumber  producing  companies in the U.S.

The British Columbia Lumber Trade Council has been actively engaged for months working alongside the federal and provincial governments to support efforts to achieve a new softwood lumber agreement that can provide certainty and stability for lumber producers in both Canada and the U.S. To date, a new agreement has not been reached and we are now at the end of the standstill period.