Canada Will Ask for Dispute Panel Over Softwood Lumber AD/CVD

Canada's trade minister, Mary Ng, announced that Canada will launch a USMCA dispute with the U.S. over the continued antidumping and countervailing duties on some Canadian softwood lumber exports.

"While the duty rates will decrease from the current levels for the majority of exporters, the only truly fair outcome would be for the United States to cease applying baseless duties to Canadian softwood lumber," Ng said in a statement Aug. 4. "We will continue to vigorously defend [Canadian forestry] interests through all available avenues, including litigation under NAFTA and CUSMA, as well as at the WTO. International tribunals have consistently found the U.S. duties to be unjustified, and we believe this will again be the case.” CUSMA is what Canada calls the USMCA.

She also said that they raise prices for new housing. The announcement said that after Commerce's third administrative review, the "all others" rate for most companies will fall from 17.91% to 8.59%.

"Canada has always been willing to work with the United States to explore ideas that could allow for a return to predictable cross-border trade in softwood lumber. We remain confident that a negotiated solution to this long-standing trade issue is in the best interests of both our countries, and we welcome an open dialogue with the Unites States to this end,” she added.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.