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OTTAWA - (Web posted Feb. 28, 2002 @ 1:15
p.m.) - Members of American Consumers for Affordable Homes were in Ottawa on
Thursday to throw there support behind Canada's position on the softwood lumber
dispute with the United States.
"Free trade is the cornerstone of (the
North American Free Trade Agreement) and a basic principle of the Bush
administration," said Susan Petniunas, an advisor with the Alliance of
American Consumers for Affordable Homes.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Commerce
impose d
preliminary anti-dumping and countervailing duties on Canadian lumber shipments
to the U.S.
The department is expected to issue a final
ruling on the cases on March 21.
"To extend these duties next month
would fly in the face of free trade," she said.
Ottawa is negotiating for open access to the
U.S. market for Canadian lumber producers, and they have already launched
challenges to the American duties under the World Trade Organization and under
the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"Unfettered access to the markets of
the United States; that's what I want," said International Trade Minister
Pierre Pettigrew. "If they do not give it to us I am going to challenge
them before the courts because we have a very solid case."
The Americans have demanded the Canadians
eliminate artificially low fees for cutting trees on Crown land, which they
claim constitutes the use of subsidies.
The issue dominated much of Wednesday's
softwood-lumber negotiations in Washington, Pettigrew said.
"We were focused on provincial
proposals,' he said. "We have gone into great details of what the provinces
are ready to do to improve the transparency, and to bring the forestry
management practices of our respective jurisdictions closer to market
practices."
Talks are set to resume on Friday and the
visiting Americans, who essentially represent the consumers of softwood lumber,
said they do have some support from politicians in Washington.
"There are over 100 members of Congress
that have signed on to House and Senate concurrent resolutions that support free
lumber trade," said Petniunas.
If the current duties are fully reflected in U.S. lumber prices, the Americans
told Pettigrew, the cost of an average new home would increase at least $1,500
U.S.
"We are strongly opposed to the idea of
a negotiated settlement for the sake of expediency that institutes any so-called
border measures such as quotas, tariffs or taxes," said Petniunas.
"This would be far worse to the interest of the consumers than no agreement
at all."
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