Toronto Bilateral Meeting Results in No Softwood Agreement Ahead of
A meeting in Toronto Oct. 5 between Canadian softwood lumber industry representatives and top U.S. and Canadian trade officials did not yield a new Softwood Lumber Agreement before a one-year ban on trade cases expires Oct. 13, but the countries…
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are still negotiating, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman indicated in an emailed statement. Froman, Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Matthew Vogel and Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland met with Canadian softwood industry officials in Toronto, an event Froman called a “valuable next step” in the U.S.’s and Canada’s attempts to secure a deal. “Our mandate continues to be to reach a new agreement that will maintain Canadian exports at or below an agreed upon U.S. market share,” Froman said. “While important differences remain in the approaches of our two countries, we will continue to engage with Canada to find a path forward that is acceptable to all parties." Forty-one House lawmakers on Sept. 28 sent a bipartisan letter urging Froman to ensure that bilateral negotiations over Canadian softwood lumber shipments result in such a cap (see 1610030007).