The U.S. Commerce Department is raising anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber to 20.56 per cent, Global News reports.
The final rate for non-selected companies, which applies to most Canadian exporters, increased to 20.56%, up from 7.66% in the previous review and slightly above the preliminary estimate of 20.07%, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
British Columbia lumber organizations are condemning the decision, calling the anti-dumping unjustified, punitive and protectionist.
“This decision represents yet another example of ongoing U.S. protectionism at a time when cross-border co-operation should be a shared priority,” states the B.C. Lumber Trade Council in a press release.
B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar condemns the decision.
"U.S. President Donald Trump has made it his mission to destroy Canada's economy, and there is no sector that has faced more of that than the forestry sector," he told CBC News, adding that it will lead to "curtailments"
