CANADA, May 1 - Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests, has released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s redetermination of its anti-dumping decision following October 2023 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) panel ruling:
“I am deeply disappointed with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s redetermination in response to the finding from the NAFTA panel that they had erred. We will continue to stand firm against unfair actions taken against our forestry workers.
“Unjust anti-dumping duties hurt both Canadians and Americans. Tens of thousands of hard-working forestry workers in British Columbia have had their jobs and businesses negatively impacted by duties that harm communities and, ultimately, people’s livelihoods.
“Forestry is and will continue to be foundational to B.C.’s economy and communities. Since the start of the United States’ imposition of anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber in 2017, the provincial and federal governments have opposed these punitive and unwarranted duties.
“Following a NAFTA panel’s finding that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s final dumping determination was inconsistent with U.S. law last October, the U.S. Department of Commerce has issued its redetermination of its anti-dumping duty findings.
“In fall 2023, the NAFTA panel found the U.S. Department of Commerce erred in how it calculated important aspects of the anti-dumping duties applied to Canadian softwood lumber exports and directed them to revisit key elements of the anti-dumping investigation.
“Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued its redetermination in response to the NAFTA panel. I am disappointed with the Department of Commerce’s reissued decision. The only correct outcome would see a reversal of their original decision. Instead, the Department of Commerce has chosen to make minor adjustments that fail to address the NAFTA panel’s instructions.
“We continue to work with the federal government, provincial partners and our forest industry to relentlessly pursue our claims through all available avenues. Rest assured that we will do everything we can to seek a better outcome for our softwood lumber exporters.”
