Softwood: Another Ruling For Canada

The world is watching this, more closely than you might think. Bush is pushing
"freer" trade, yet the flog the very rules they co-wrote because they work
against them in this case. How typical. How disappointing. Wait until they
formally ask to trade for our water, and we tell them we're looking to sell it
elsewhere. Then they'll wonder why we'd have the audacity to do so.

They're only shooting themselves in the foot. But that's just my opinion.

<sigh>

I't was not to long ago, the WTO supported the Americans and they chose that decision over NAFTA's. So what gives? The US has recently stated that only "their laws" apply to their global conduct. Those laws even apply to the prisons they are said to have all over the world. Canadain's can cheer once again after they won the same legal battle with another court. That's about all they can do, Cheer!

"Canadians" Sorry!I need glass's and sleep.

I know, I try to wrap my head around this issue too. There are several issues.

1) That Canada unfairly subsidizes the logging industry (NAFTA, WTO)
2) That the tarrifs imposed by the US under 1) are unfair (NAFTA)
3) That that the tarriffs imposed from 1) are calculated unfairly (WTO)
4) That the method used to calculate government subsidies that determined the Canadian industry was subsidized are determined unfairly. (NAFTA, WTO)

I believe the article decision applies to #3, and Canada has already won #1 (NAFTA only), #2, and #4. So, if I get this right, the US has only won on #1 under the WTO. NAFTA trumps the WTO decision, which is why the tarrifs are being reduced to 0.8%, sort of.

Clear as mud?

---
"If you must kill a man, it costs you nothing to be polite about it." Winston Churchill

>>Clear as mud?<<

Not even that. No wonder the Yanks keep bringing it to court. They will win again and lose again and each time it gives them interest on the money they gained or lost.

The long and short of it is that the US is trying to force the sale of all Crown lands, so they can create more imaginary money to buy up the whole of Canada, which consists of something like 80 or 90% Crown land. Their pimps, like the Fraser Institute and so called "conservative" politicians have been advocating this for many years.

One of the former bigwigs of the Fraser Inst. by the name of Arnold Block, published a book some 20 years ago, advocating the sale of all the rivers and lakes as an "environmental protection measure". He also advocated the sale of the oceans, divided between corporations, for the same reason.

Because Adam Smith said so. I don't know where, but they claim this.

The whole softwood lumber issue is part of this plan. For one thing, the lumber companies are doing very well in spite
of all this, they just automate more and fire more Canadians to pay for the duties.

However, this also shows that economies built on exports are sooner, or later, bound to collapse, because some new worms creep out of the woodworks and do it "cheaper"

In any case, the multinationals are just waiting for a stable, capitalist Russian government, when they can move in, drop Canada and mowe down the whole of Siberia without any regulations, for pennies.

Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC.

The only thing (very simply put) America is required to do by either NAFTA or the WTO to bring itself into 100% compliance with ALL rules/laws is to do what? NOT give the collected duties to the U.S. Lumber industry, but instead KEPP them in government coffers as the government of Canada does with it's duties it has collected forever on American imports. That is all. Quite simple. And mark my words. America is just about to do this and the federal government of CanaDuh will have more egg on it's face than ever before as it attempts to explain it away to it's sheeple it has CONvinced of everything it's made up out of thin air for it's own electioneeering purposes. Good thing the American government has been holding those collected duties in escrow pending a final determination ...otherwise they WOULD have been in violation and could be exposed to penalties. Yes, dear sheeple...all that's required is that there what amounst to a DOUBLE anti-dumping penalty be reduced to a SINGLE anti-dumping duty/penalty...and instead of going "double" (turning the duties over to private industry), they respect the international body's ruling(s) and KEEP ALL COLLECTED DUTIES IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT COFFERS!!! ...bet your Canuckistani government never told y'all 'bout that now did they? Didn't think so...neither did your Canuckistani government controlled press I'd wager (eh)...toodles my chilly chillun...'til next time (eh)...

Sorry for not following the comment stream but the only ones who benefit from NAFTA are the blood sucking lawyers on both sides who keep the bullshit rolling.
Look at politicians and government on both sides of the border- lawyers. Judges are lawyers as well. It behooves them to write agreements that they can dispute continually and fill their pockets with taxpayers dollars They create more problems then they solve.

How many additional rides on this carousel are we going to have?

It's been anounced today that the tax is being "lowered". The lumber conglomerate in the US states that it is being lowered only because Canadas dollar has increased and nothing more. Obviously they are either poor loosers and won't refund the money owed OR the tax will be back as soon as they go to court again. The conglomerate still insists that Canada subsidizes the lumber. Nothing has been said about the "logs" they are so willing to buy, but just the lumber from those logs. Evidently their concept is that the stumpage fee's apply only to lumber and not the logs.

Our government in Ottawa is so stupid. Martin suggests he will give l billion dollars to the industry to help out.
Some help out. Now the Americans can say we subsidize the industry. Guess what?. They are right. If people around here wouldn't take Canada so seriously one can see the fun value of living here.

kinda like all the screamin' and cryin' over the Americans not being very amenable to having diseased Canadian beef forced upon them...especially after a single diseased Canadian cow sent to Washington state from Alberta cost the American cattlemen THEIR largest export market...all while YOU folks cried a river "aboot" it all (eh)...<br />
<br />
see this...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/12/08/japan-beef051208.html">http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/12/08/japan-beef051208.html</a><br />
<br />
It's so similar to the lumber thing it's scary! The two-facedness of it all is astounding. It's nothing but pure, unadulterated hatred of an entire class of people based upon their national origin that has been made by Canadian politicians the very cornerstone of a completely dysfunctional society.

another version of the above from a different Canadian source...<br />
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<a href="http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051208/japan_USbeefsafety_20051208/20051208?hub=Health">http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20051208/japan_USbeefsafety_20051208/20051208?hub=Health</a><br />
<br />
America's friends the Canadians, as always (eh)...