Softwood deal won't affect NAFTA: Emerson

[CHIMO]

VANCOUVER (CP) — International Trade Minister David Emerson is dismissing concerns from a Washington trade lawyer that the proposed softwood lumber deal with the United States undermines the North American Free Trade Agreement.

In an opinion brief for the Montreal-based Free Trade Lumber Council and other lumber industry clients, Elliott Feldman concluded among other things the deal effectively kills Chapter 19 of NAFTA, the dispute-resolution mechanism Canada used to strike down punitive U.S. lumber duties.

"The deal does not recognize or acknowledge a single litigated outcome from the last four years," Feldman writes.

It also allows to stand a U.S. interpretation that NAFTA panel rulings were prospective — that is duties collected before they were declared invalid would not have to be returned.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&pubid=968163964505&cid=1147470611703&col=968705899037&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

NAFTA is dead but nobody sees it yet. Just wait for the downturn then it will become really tough.

[daleo]

1. I agree, this deal killed NAFTA

For better or worse. It went from a (more or less) free trade agreement to a managed trade agreement, and one which is essentially colonial in nature. Nothing new for Canada I guess - you could think of it as a version of Imperial Preference.

[CHIMO]

2. Seems

Like all that is lacking is a "Tea" party.