Canada’s international trade minister says the United States appears to be pressing ahead with what she calls “unjustified” duties on softwood lumber imports.
Mary Ng says the anti-dumping and countervailing duties the U.S. imposes on Canadian softwood lumber are little more than a tax on American consumers.
A raft of documents filed today by the U.S. Department of Commerce, just the latest in a series of reviews of the dispute, indicates the anti-dumping and countervailing duties aren’t going away.
The latest combined duty rates—which are preliminary and won’t take effect until after a final review expected this summer—range between 7.29 and 9.38 per cent.
She says Canada will use all avenues to fight the duties, including litigation under NAFTA and its successor the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, as well as at the World Trade Organization.
“With these preliminary results, the U.S. Department of Commerce has indicated its intention to maintain its unjustified duties on imports of Canadian softwood lumber,” Ng said in a statement Tuesday.