In New Trade Front, Trump Slaps Tariff on Canadian Lumber

[jpak]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Monday that it would impose new tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports, escalating a longstanding conflict with America’s second-largest trading partner.

The Commerce Department determined that Canada had been improperly subsidizing the sale of softwood lumber products to the United States, and after failed negotiations, Washington decided to retaliate with tariffs of 3 percent to 24 percent. The penalties will be collected retroactively on imports dating back 90 days.

The decision came days after President Trump complained bitterly about Canada’s dairy trade practices, and the tariffs signaled a harsher turn in his relationship with Canada, even as he seeks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. While he has often assailed China, Mexico and others for their trade practices, he seemed to have forged a strong relationship with Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

The United States and Canada have been at odds over softwood lumber in one form or another since the 19th century, with the current dispute tracing back to 1982. The United States imported $5.7 billion in softwood lumber last year alone, mainly for residential home building.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/us/politics/lumber-tariff-canada-trump.html

[nikibatts]

1. Well, there goes the housing market.

[sinkingfeeling]

7. +100

[Cryptoad]

14. Hell,,,, he has deported most ,,,,,

of the construction workers,,,,,, just as well

[mpcamb]

16. We don't need that lumber- there's plenty in the National Parks

ready for clearcutting.

[safeinOhio]

2. Wasn't there a South Park movie?

War with Canada.

[rpannier]

3. There was a movie

about a fake war with Canada started to help a struggling president win the support of the American public -- Canadian Bacon

[mac56]

4. A Michael Moore film.

[Maeve]

8. the 1999 movie had a song "Blame Canada"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blame_Canada

[paleotn]

5. Cost of new construction just went up...

That will do wonders for the economy. Thanks 45, you f'ing moron.

[Vinca]

6. Why do American logging companies send their wood to Canada???

I live in a state that abuts the Canadian border and log trucks heading north on the Interstate are a common site. Maybe American lumber companies should pay whatever Canada is paying for logs.

[knightmaar]

9. It's probably just closer

I mean, wood from Quebec might be Canadian, but it's not much help if you're in Manitoba somewhere near the North Dakota border.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. Meanwhile, Keystone XL and TransCanada

is chompin' at the bits to get started while Drumpf the card shark does his 3-card monte game.



http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/columns/column-the-keystone-pipeline-s-undercovered-truth/article_bc74d281-897d-5cd0-8958-0a83b1167f59.html

[NewRedDawn]

11. Probably mad that Justin T. is boffing

his "wife" Ivanka.

[OnlinePoker]

12. More destruction of BCs forest industry

Ever since NAFTA was signed, lumber mills here have been closing left, right, and center. It's amazing how a subsidized industry has been forced to downsize so much. On top of it, we then have to sell unprocessed raw logs overseas to at least keep the loggers employed.

[Cryptoad]

13. Here in my little corner of Dumbfuckistan,,,,,

the only lumber mills closing are the Paper mills... all the others are growing by "leaps and bounds"

[lark]

15. Keeping his promises to Russia

by destroying relationships with all our important and closest strategic allies so we are no longer #1 and Russia can rush in to fill the void.

[randr]

17. This will bite his cronies in the ass

In particular, construction in Aspen is dependent on Canadian wood products. Maybe his billionaire club won't worry too much is the already over the top costs of their play mansions cost a little more. In my experience they whine about the costs of ink to write checks to their contractors.