by Carl Grenier, former executive vice-president (1999-2006) of the Free Trade Lumber Council.
Globe and Mail
The Softwood Lumber Agreement negotiated by prime minister Stephen Harper’s new government in 2006 expired on Oct. 12, 2015, ending nine years of managed trade with the United States. Canadian exporters of softwood lumber now have free access to the U.S. market after more than a decade of poor conditions: Canadian market share tumbled to 28 per cent from 34 per cent and tens of thousands of jobs were lost, including about 20,000 in Quebec alone. Many companies simply disappeared, including the largest producer in Ontario. …It would be a big mistake to conclude that the end of the 2006 agreement came about because of a sudden change of heart on the part of the U.S. competitors who started this trade dispute more than 30 years ago.
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