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OTTAWA
- (Web posted Feb. 18, 2002 @ 5 p.m.) Tory
trade critic Bill Casey called the Liberal approach to negotiating a softwood
lumber deal with the Americans "inexperienced" and "naive"
on Monday, and that a new strategy is needed to save the industry.
.JPG) "They
(the Canadian government) has never brought the industry together to develop a
national policy that the industry approves," said the Nova Scotia MP,
during an interview with PoliticsWatch.com after Monday's question Period.
"They have never brought all of the
provinces together to get a national policy that the provincial governments
approve of."
In April, the Canda-U.S. softwood lumber
deal expired, and the Americans eventually slapped large tariffs on Canadian
softwood lumber imports.
U.S. lumber interests claimed their Canadian
counterparts benefited from unfair subsidies.
British Columbia has been hardest hit by the
trade dispute, which forced the closure of lumber mills throughout the province,
and resulted in thousands of layoffs.
Quebec also has a large stake in the
industry, and until now Atlantic Canada has been exempt from the dispute.
However, there are reports that the U.S. Commerce Department plans to
put a duty on softwood lumber from that region.
Casey, who also called for an emergency
debate on the issue in the House of Commons, said time is of the essence because
the Americans are expected to make a final ruling on what the
duties will be on March 21.
Talks between the two countries are expected
to resume on Tuesday.
He said the government should utilize the
Canada-U.S. Parliamentary committee to bring the trade dispute to the attention
of members of Congress, and away from the U.S. lumber lobby.
"My strategy here is to move away from
the industry in the U.S. that controls this," said Casey. "It's
amazing how small the group of business people in the United States is that is
driving this issue, which is trying to control the Canadian lumber
industry."
"If we can get by the business community
in the U.S., that's driving this, and wake up the Congress to the impact (of the
tariffs) maybe it's a strategy that will work."
NDP leader Alexa McDonough agreed
negotiators must redefine their strategy.
"When you go into such complicated
negotiations it's absolutely customary that you try to narrow the number of
issues on the table," she said.
"But they seem to be in such a
deadlock...that they're not even trying to move it forward," McDonough
said, "and meanwhile it's absolutely devastating what's happening, not only
to Canadian workers, but to the smaller Canadian (lumber) companies."
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