The Canada-US Softwood Lumber Dispute

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the 1996 Canada-US Softwood Lumber agreement. It describes the terms of the agreement and the differing interests of the federal and provincial governments in the agreement. The paper then looks at the differing roles that the federal and provincial governments play in implementing the agreement. Next, the paper discusses Canada's objectives in entering into the two free trade agreements, the FTA and the NAFTA and discusses how the Softwood Lumber Agreement fits into these. Finally, the paper looks at the BC Lumber Trade Council and what it represents.

From the Paper:

" The Council advocated to the provincial and federal governments on the basis of the lumber industry and the best interests of the forestry industry as well as of Canada. The Council advocated finding "a durable, long-term solution to the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute and respect for the rules of trade under NAFTA" (BC Lumber Trade Council 1). The Council also upholds certain aspects of the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement along with the interests of the firms in the industry that the Council represents. Advocacy on the part of the Council includes using threats to the federal government. Such threats involve the potential for embarrassment on the international scale along with local disgrace in the event that the agreement is implemented without feedback and influence from the BC Lumber Trade Council. The strategies employed in the advocacy of related to the proposed softwood lumber agreement represent the intensity of feeling surrounding the issues in the dispute. The Council's advocacy measures also are influenced by the extreme significance of the softwood lumber agreement for the lumber industry in British Columbia. The BC Lumber Trade Council also has threatened to sabotage the agreement in the event that their demands are not realized."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barrows, David and Cotsomitis, John. "Canada's Global Competitiveness". Canada and the New World Economic Order. Toronto: Captus, 2001, pp. 3-33.
• BC Lumber Trade Council. Message to America. 2006. http://www.bclumbertrade.com
• Smith, Marcia. BC Trade Lumber Council. 2001. http://www.bclumbertrade.com
• Stanbury, W.T. and Moore, Sean. "Role of Interest Groups in Influencing Public Policy in Canada". Diane Jurkowski and George Eaton, eds., Between Public and Private. Toronto: Captus, 2003, pp. 217-266.
• Beg, F. et al. "The Canada-US Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute". Jurkowski, D. & Eaton, G. (Eds.). (2003). Between Public and Private. Concord: Captus Press, pp. 482-514.

More papers on The Canada-US Softwood Lumber Dispute:

• Analytical Essay # 129982 : "The Canada-US Softwood Lumber Dispute"
• Argumentative Essay # 99797 : "The Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement of 2006"
• Research Paper # 99620 : "Canada-US Softwood Lumber"

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