© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A worker unloads logs at Murray Brothers Lumber in Madawaska, Ontario, Canada, July 4, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada is disappointed that the United States plans to maintain tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, Ottawa said on Tuesday, arguing that a negotiated solution to the long-running dispute is in the best interest of both countries.
Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng responded to the US Department of Commerce’s proposal to continue operating soft tariffs from Canada as part of the annual review.
“This is a disappointing decision for many on both sides of our shared border,” Ng said in a statement.
The softwood lumber tax is a legacy of a decades-old trade dispute in Canada that was not resolved when the sector agreement expired in 2015.
“We are confident that the approach we have discussed on this issue that has been in place for a long time is in the best interests of both countries,” Ng said.
