David Emerson, Softwood Hero?

[geoffrey]

Anti-circumvention clauses aren't unheard of. It totally makes sense.

It's in place to prevent a province from changing policies that would materially effect the conditions of the industry as it relates to this deal. It also applies to state governments as well.

If we need to go to the US to change domestic policies, this isn't an agreement that I'm ok with. Nor any Canadian should be ok with. Let's see if Harper can get this aspect of the agreement dropped in final negotiations.

Whether unheard of or not, I don't like our provinces having to apply to the US to change base costs of lumber domestically.

[August1991]

This agreement places restrictions on Canada's exports of lumber to the US. (In fact, the agreement is closer to a price-fixing cartel because it states that if US prices fall below certain levels, then heavy import duties will be imposed.)

It is understandable that US lumber producers (and Canadian producers too) want this agreement to be ironclad so that there is no way for Canadian producers to circumvent it, and somehow get wood into the US market by other means.

It's a cartel. Cartel's require strict enforcement.

BTW, we have had two agreements like this in the past and they have worked.

The whole thing makes me sick how Canadians can be oblivious to the environmental damage occuring in our northern forests.

Apparently all Canadians care about is about is the profits of big forestry corporations as they mechanize further to cut more forest using fewer employees.

Either that or Canadians have no clue about the kind of clearcutting that is going on and how vast beautiful biologically diverse forests are being eradicated and "replanted" with non-native economic trees with little value to native wildlife.

Ironically, the American excuse for imposing conterveiling duties was that Canadian producers were over-exploiting Canadian forests and not paying the true value of chopping the trees down.

I don't know this business well but I wonder whether the BC and Quebec governments have properly set the royalties on this renewable resource. The lumbermen are clearly a formidable lobby.

[shoop]

The snippet of the story you posted doesn't really support drawing that conclusion. Do you have a link for the full story?

Whether unheard of or not, I don't like our provinces having to apply to the US to change base costs of lumber domestically.

[geoffrey]

The snippet of the story you posted doesn't really support drawing that conclusion. Do you have a link for the full story?

Whether unheard of or not, I don't like our provinces having to apply to the US to change base costs of lumber domestically.

The link is gone now, it was in all the CanWest newspapers if you have access to anyone of them. Front page of the Calgary Herald, lower left corner.

[August1991]

There's a good story here.

Here's a chart of Tembec. Notice what happened from 26 April on.

After deriding the softwood deal as a sell-out to the Americans and bad for Canadian lumber firms, watch now for the opposition types to claim that there was insider-trading.

[no1important]

Conservatives defend lumber deal against critics

The Conservative government on Friday found itself defending the breakthrough softwood lumber agreement it reached a day earlier with the United States.

The Tories shot back in response to Opposition criticisms that the deal sold Canada's lumber industry out to U.S. interests.

Jason Kenney, parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said the government was able to succeed where past Liberal governments failed, and they brokered "the best deal that was possible" under the circumstances.

"The option is, either we make a good deal . . . or we continue an open-ended litigation and another $5 billion in duties and another five years of uncertainty," Kenney said in an interview on CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

The most interesting part of this deal is:

'Deal breaker' clause

Meanwhile, the Conservatives also find themselves under attack from some members of the B.C. forest industry, who claim to have discovered a clause in the agreement that could allow the U.S. a veto on changes to provincial forestry policies.

Industry sources told The Canadian Press the so-called anti-circumvention clause commits signatories of the agreement to take no actions that could undermine it, or offset export restrictions.

B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said, however, that government prerogatives to make policy will be protected when the agreement is finalized in a few months.

Campbell is just a conservative in Liberal colours. They are all former Social Credit and Reform Party members, not "real" Liberals. Campbell stole the party from Gordon Wilson.

Tariff would mean a House vote

Opposition leaders say those conditions fly in the face of what Harper promised in the House of Commons on Thursday, when he announced the deal "means no quota, no tariffs."

"Well, the agreement clearly has both tariffs and quotas," said Layton. "Interestingly enough these are tariffs that now the Canadian government is going to charge, which means of course they'll have to come through the House of Commons as a tax measure.

"So we'll see what happens when that is brought forward."

I hope the BQ votes against this too.

I am starting to think the Twilight of Harpers government is going to disappear soon and that the Liberals could win a minority with Graham if the government falls.

This Harper government has nothing on the Liberals for being crooked, dishonest, sneaky and selling us out. Harper has to go and the sooner the better.

We do not need a republican party bitch for our Prime Minister.

Too bad the Bloc, Libs and NDP can't work together and go to the Governor General and form a coalition government.

Read the rest here

Dief screwed us with the the "Avro Arrow".

Mulroney Sold us out under NAFTA and Harper is carrying the torch.

No wonder Conservative governments are so few and far between. They have a history of selling us out and bending over or dropping to their knees to please the current US administration. It is despicable.

[shoop]

I am starting to think the Twilight of Harpers government is going to disappear soon and that the Liberals could win a minority with Graham if the government falls.

Wow, you are deluded aren't you? The Conservatives are not going to govern like the Liberals, fear of "falling" at every turn which lead to Martin peddling his arse with every piece of legislation. The opposition parties get that and aren't pushing the brinksmanship and making him look like a fool.

This Harper government has nothing on the Liberals for being crooked, dishonest, sneaky and selling us out. Harper has to go and the sooner the better.

Really? Which program have the Conservatives started that lead to money being funnelled to Conservative Party of Canada operatives? Or is it you just disagree with their policies so you are trying to equate them to the theft under the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mulroney Sold us out under NAFTA and Harper is carrying the torch.

Hmmm, guess the longest peacetime economic expansion we are currently experiencing has nothing to do with the increase in cross-boarder trade.

No wonder Conservative governments are so few and far between. They have a history of selling us out and bending over or dropping to their knees to please the current US administration. It is despicable.

What they have is a history of setting economic and regulatory conditions that help ALL Canadians.

Brian Mulroney, Greenest living PM. GST, the tax the Liberals campaigned against yet campaigned against its being cut. NAFTA, again the Liberals campaigned against it but never abrogated the deal. Maybe they ran out of time in the last 12 1/2 years.

[scribblet]

In case you missed it, Preston Manning had a Letter to the Editor published yesterday in the National Post.

It read as follows:

"Isn't it amazing how trade relations improve when we stop referring to representatives of our largest trading partner as morons and bastards".

Preston Manning, Calgary.

Right on Preston.

[geoffrey]

Whether it's actually a difference in relations due to that scriblett, I don't know. I doubt it, money talks more than good will gestures.

However, I was ashamed of how our country spoke out against the Americans under the Liberal regime. I'm ok with being critical of their foreign policy or whatever. I'm not ok with the classless insults thrown about needlessly.

Our relations degraded to the point where I would have heard more constructive commentary on a elementary school playground and less profanity in a skatepark.

I welcome this new, fresh, clean dialog. The effects of it may be limited in pragmatic real terms, but I'd much rather hear people discussing issues and not how GWB is a 'moron'.

[shoop]

Completely agreed.

Obviously a big part of the reason is Harper's more focused managment style.

Do you think any Government MPs dare speak in such chidlish and boorish ways?

However, I was ashamed of how our country spoke out against the Americans under the Liberal regime. I'm ok with being critical of their foreign policy or whatever. I'm not ok with the classless insults thrown about needlessly.

Our relations degraded to the point where I would have heard more constructive commentary on a elementary school playground and less profanity in a skatepark.

I welcome this new, fresh, clean dialog. The effects of it may be limited in pragmatic real terms, but I'd much rather hear people discussing issues and not how GWB is a 'moron'.