The minister responsible for forestry and local MLA Ravi Parmar said a new council on softwood lumber will bring industry expertise together to help navigate the economic concerns with U.S. duties, and any potential tariffs that could be coming Canada's way.
While many people across the country have let out a sigh of relief about the pause on U.S. tariffs, Parmar said those in the forestry industry are still feeling the economic threat loom.
“We’re already dealing with duties to the tune of 14.4 per cent. With tariffs on top of that, in addition to duties going up later this year in double digits—we’ll find out those numbers later this month—we could be dealing with 50 to 55 per cent duties and tariffs on our softwood lumber going into the United States,” he said, adding how that scenario would be devastating.
While the industry is looking to diversify, it’s important to note the U.S. needs Canadian lumber, Parmar said. However, Parmar acknowledged the softwood lumber dispute with the U.S. has been a long-time problem.
“I’m truly frustrated by it, even though I’ve only been on this file for two months,” he said, adding that his task of getting the industry back on its feet is made difficult by the duties.
Ultimately, Parmar said the status quo is not an option, and he’ll be making some noise in states like South Carolina and California about the added cost of lumber while rebuilding from devastating situations such as wildfires. He also wants people in the U.S. to hear messaging that B.C. does not subsidize its lumber in the hopes they will put pressure on their representatives.
Parmar was on CFAX 1070 with Ryan Price today (Feb 6):