Nova Scotia Applauds Softwood Lumber Agreement

The agreement reached between Canada and the United States to resolve the softwood lumber dispute meets Nova Scotia's goals of stability in lumber trade and maintaining the Atlantic exemption, said Premier Rodney MacDonald.

The government of Canada announced Thursday, April 27, that a framework agreement had been reached.

The agreement will exempt Atlantic Canada lumber producers from export taxes and quota arrangements, recognizing that Atlantic lumber comes from private wood lots and is produced in a competitive, private sector marketplace.

"While we have always considered the Atlantic exemption to be a logical and fair outcome of any settlement, it has taken the collective and persistent efforts of industry, led by the Maritime Lumber Bureau, provincial governments and legal counsel over the past five years, to ensure recognition and acceptance of the exemption outside the region," said Premier MacDonald.

The agreement requires the use of the Maritime Lumber Bureau's certificate of origin for Maritime lumber exports, a program the bureau had instituted years ago to ensure the exempt status is workable and well accepted in the United States.

The agreement will also result in repayment of 80 per cent of the countervailing duties that the U.S. had imposed on Canadian producers.

"The government celebrates with the forest industry the termination of duties and the eventual return of millions of dollars on deposit and improved export market stability," said Premier MacDonald.