Softwood lumber: fight for fairness continues. (Guest Column).The forest industry has always been a vital part of the Ontario economy. It provides direct employment to over 20,000 people and helps support the economies of over 40 communities, the majority of which are in Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is the part of the province of Ontario which lies north of Lake Huron (including Georgian Bay), the French River and Lake Nipissing. Northern Ontario has a land area of 802,000 km² (310,000 mi²) and constitutes 87% of the land area of Ontario, although it . On March 21, 2002, the softwood lumber negotiations between Canada and the United States The United States and Canada share a unique legal relationship. U.S. law looks northward with a mixture of optimism and cooperation, viewing Canada as an integral part of U.S. economic and environmental policy. broke off, leaving Canada with subsidy and dumping duties totalling 27 per cent. Potential sawmill sawmill, installation or facility in which cut logs are sawed into standard-sized boards and timbers. The saws used in such an installation are generally of three types: the circular saw, which consists of a disk with teeth around its edge; the band saw, which closures, caused by the negative impact of countervailing duties Countervailing duties are a means to restrict international trade in cases where imports are subsidized by a foreign country and hurt domestic producers. According to WTO rules, a country can launch its own investigation and decide to charge extra duties, provided such additional levied by the U.S. could have a permanent, devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. effect on many northern communities. This troubles me deeply so I recently joined the many northerners taking pen to paper to voice their concerns. My colleague, Jerry Ouellette, minister of natural resources, joined me in writing to the federal minister for International Trade, Pierre Pettigrew. We asked Minister Pettigrew to do his utmost for the people of Northern Ontario and for the well-being of communities across the country. Specifically, we asked the minister for two things. First, to ensure additional community-adjustment assistance is made available to enhance local infrastructure so that new enterprises are attracted to the North. Second, to keep Ontario involved and informed of any efforts to lobby Congress and mobilize potential allies in the U.S. We urged the minister that we need to continue to fight, on every possible front, to ensure free and unfettered access to the U.S. markets for Ontario's forest industry. We welcome the opportunity to work cooperatively with the federal government to maximize these efforts. Because talks with the U.S. broke down the federal government, on behalf of the provinces, is pursuing litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. with the World Trade Organization and NAFTA NAFTA in full North American Free Trade Agreement Trade pact signed by Canada, the U.S., and Mexico in 1992, which took effect in 1994. Inspired by the success of the European Community in reducing trade barriers among its members, NAFTA created the world's panels. Ontario's side of the story is straightforward -- we do not subsidize our forest industry, nor do we believe Ontario mills are 'dumping' lumber on the U.S. market below costs. Contrary to U.S. lumber industry claims, our timber prices are fair and reasonable. I am confident that when the appeals process concludes these independent bodies will affirm our position. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , our government continues to work with the province's lumber producers and their associations, the Ontario Forest Industries Association and the Ontario Lumber Manufacturers' Association. These groups support the government's efforts in both litigation and the work towards a reasonable settlement. The softwood lumber dispute is far from ended. Ontario remains committed to helping all efforts to secure a long-term durable solution to this problem and would be willing for talks to resume if the U.S. indicates a willingness to be reasonable. I also urge all northerners to keep the faith, keep fighting and keep writing -- every little bit helps. Submitted by Jim Wilson, minister of northern development and mines. |
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