Canada Launches Legal Challenges of US Softwood Lumber Duty Increases

Canada Launches Legal Challenges of US Softwood Lumber Duty Increases
Fresh cut lumber is pictured stacked at a mill along the Stave River in Maple Ridge, B.C., on April 25, 2019. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward
The Canadian Press
Updated:
0:00

The federal government says Canada will challenge recent increases to softwood lumber duties by the United States.

International Trade Minister Mary Ng says Canada has taken steps to launch two legal challenges under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.

Ng describes the duties as unfair and unjust and says they will harm Canadian industry and increase housing costs.

In August, the U.S. Department of Commerce nearly doubled duties on softwood lumber.

Its fifth administrative review of the duties increased the rate to just over 14.5 percent from just over eight percent.

The softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada stretches back decades, and softwood lumber is a key area of contention for both Democrats and Republicans ahead of this fall’s U.S. presidential election.