The softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the US is a long-running point of contention that has been going on for decades, and continues to this day. If you need a primer on what’s been going on so far, here is a rundown of some of the key events in the dispute.
1982: The US lumber industry files a complaint alleging that Canadian lumber producers had an unfair advantage due to low stumpage rates.
1986: The US and Canada sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes a 15% provisional tax on all Canadian softwood lumber exports to the US.
1996: The US and Canada sign a five-year agreement that puts a quota system in place for Canadian softwood lumber exports to the US.
2001: The US-Canada softwood lumber agreement expires, and the US lumber industry files a new complaint with the US Department of Commerce.
2002: The US Department of Commerce imposes countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports.
2006: The US and Canada sign a new softwood lumber agreement that lasts for seven years, This Agreement put the 2001-2006 trade dispute to an end, and saw the return of more than $5 billion in duty deposits by US authorities to Canadian companies.
2015: The US-Canada softwood lumber agreement expires.
2017: The US Department of Commerce imposes countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber imports.^8:
2020: The World Trade Organization (WTO) rules in favor of the US in the softwood lumber dispute.
2023: The US Department of Commerce announces the results of the fourth administrative reviews, which subject most Canadian softwood lumber exports to the new combined duty rate of 7.99%.
The US and Canadian governments have been negotiating a new softwood lumber agreement for several years, but have not been able to reach an agreement. It is unclear when the dispute will be resolved.
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