And It's Finished...
I posted yesterday on what was rumoured to be a possible settlement to the softwood dispute. Well, today CTV confirmed that Canada and the U.S. have agreed to a framework deal to end the decades old softwood lumber dispute.
posted by Pedro @ 4:43 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Ontario and Quebec feel betrayed. We'll have a Liberal government by September. Can't wait that long.
Decoin no one enjoys putting water in their wine. It is a bit shocking to have a PM who gets things done after a generation of inactivity but I am certain Canadians will adjust over time. The lumber industries in Canada and the US do not like the deal. The provinces signed on but with reluctance. None of the stakeholders are happy. A sign of give and take I suspect. I believe unfettered free trade would be a far better solution but that was NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN. The White House expended a ton of political capital to force a settlement opposed by the US Lumber Lobby (the most powerful group in Washington) by 12:00 AM Thursday, prior to the next US appeal deadline. Clinton and Bush ignored us for years so I do find it some what uplifting that the US administration actually put on a full court press for Harper. I do not know what the quid pro quo may be, but we will find out in the coming months.
Please remember that many files have never been covered by NAFTA.. These areas include softwood, culture (CRTC and Magazine protection would disappear), marketing boards, and the auto industry to name a few. I suspect no one in Ontario would thrilled about switching from managed trade to pure free trade in the auto industry.
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