U.S., Canada Make Softwood Lumber Deal

Two words: sell out.

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"and the knowledge they fear is a weapon to be used against them"

"The Weapon" - Rush

Some questions:

1. That half a billion goes to cover US legal expenses, proves that the US is run by lawyers; right?

2. What about Canadian legal expenses? Isn't it normal the the "winner" pays the legal costs of the "loser"? So although this it fanfared as a win for Canada, we are still the losers because we pay both parties' legal fees. Right?

3. And where do the other half a billion dollars go?

4. Is the magic number of $370 to be specified in Can$ or in US$? I guess with inflationary pressure, this gimmick will never have any value so Canadian procducers do not have to be afraid of it. Or am I wrong on this?

'It's far from perfect but it reflects the world' - former U.S. ambassador Allan Gotlieb

Yes what a new world we live in. One where the Conservatives sell us out, let them steal our money, get only a seven year deal, ignore that the WTO ruled in favour of Canada on our original position, and one in which the Conservatives will always appease the Americans.

If this is a hint of what kind of appeasement we can expect from these sellouts, I dare think of what's coming. With the same neocons using the same scare tactics we will see war on Iran just in time for the US election cycle. With that we will see Harper and team drooling on themselves to get Canada involved - nuclear strikes and all.


You expect this kind of garbage from the Liberals, but once again we see there is little difference between the two except for the fundamentalists.

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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

Oh, I suppose corrupt_incompetent_self_entitled Liberals coming to NO DEAL for so MANY years is something to cheer? The softwood industry was on the brink of disaster, this will save it, no less.

I always thought a circus clown could run the country better than Liberals. We got a circus ring leader instead, but my point remains proven and in a very short time frame.

"This agreement shows how NAFTA partners can overcome differences and work together," Bush said in a statement later, referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico.
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My old age is showing as I always thought NAFTA was the agreement. I guess this NEW agreement will be binding to the USA as was NAFTA. I must be missing something here. I guess it will be binding as long as the US say's it is.

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Expect little from life and get more from it.

The BC lumber industry, owned and controlled from abroad, was NOT on the brink of any disaster. It was and still is booming, the mills are working full capacity and have never lost a day.

Especially booming with the export of raw logs. Which, of course, by NAFTA and WTO rules can not be cut back from the highest numbers.

Ed Deak. Big Lake, BC.

Nice try - two points you obviously didn't consider or omitted on purpose:

1) The WTO was ruling in our favour - why should we settle for less than that which is stipulated in NAFTA and via the rulings?

2) Every time we won, the Americans would come up with some new angle or challenge the ruling. Hardly the Liberals fault.

No what we saw was typical pro-American Conservative sellouts in action.

It's time to abrogate NAFTA.

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If there was ever a time for Canadians to become pushy - now is the time - for time is running out on this nation called Canada.

"The vast majority of trade with the United States is free and unencumbered," he said, adding that the deal puts an end to a "major irritant" and creates a fixed set of rules. "This frees us up to go back to the table to deepen NAFTA and amend it to strengthen the dispute resolution mechanism," Gotlieb said.

NAFTA was to free and unencumber trade between Canada and the USA as well as provide a fixed set of rules including a dispute resolution mechanism.

This must mean Canada and Canadians must have been screwing the good old USA or we wouldn't have cave in when we were winning. The Americans are right this must prove Canada and Canadians are wimps and cheats.

It also proves that America is only Happy when Canadians elect a Government that is Anti-Canada, Anti-Canadian. Which means Canadians are fools.

It also proves that America can't play on a level playing field as well can't live and play by its own rules!





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Perception is two thirds of what we perceive reality to be.

Difficult decisions are a privilege of rank.

<I>1) The WTO was ruling in our favour - why should we settle for less than that which is stipulated in NAFTA and via the rulings?<BR> <BR> </I>Because reaching a settlement is exactly what you do when long term disagreements don't resolve themselves. You rather wait till an entire industry is reduced to shreds and Americans fully engaged in importing lumber from Brazil's Amazon?<I><BR> <BR> 2) Every time we won, the Americans would come up with some new angle or challenge the ruling. Hardly the Liberals fault.<BR> <BR> </I>I wonder if that has anything to do with humiliating them before the international community on the environment when in fact, our record is worse than theirs. That's just one dismal example of diploatic failure, there are plenty more where that came from. Liberal incompetence is what was preventing any breakthroughs on the softwood lumber issue.<BR> <BR> And to the fella who think's BC's lumber industry wasn't in peril, I'll have you know BC's lumber industry accounts for only 30% of the country's lumber exports. I live in a region of North Western Quebec that was devasted by it as are our neighbours in North Eastern Ontario.

The provinces need to stop shipping raw materials out of Canada.

The Liberals stole $355M from us to payoff their political supporters and cronies. And now Harper has gifted ONE BILLION DOLLARS to his political supporters along with the endless support of our military for their endless war. That's the way I see it.

I wonder how much and how long it will take before Harper thinks we have paid enough for any of our sins he sees us as having committed? Can we afford him?

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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music." Friedrich Nietzsche

The liberals and conservatives BOTH sell out Canada! Why we continue to play nicey-nice even though we are right, I`ll never know. well, I take that back- i do know- they do it because they can line their pockets doing it! Emerson = Canfor!

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Dave Ruston

the mills are working full capacity and have never lost a day. <

The lumber mills are dropping like dead flys on Vancouver Island, Ed. The logs are being moved along the highway at a great volume though. According to the Yanks, the lumber must be that, which falls under their disgruntlement but not the logs, lumber is made from.


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Expect little from life and get more from it.

According to NAFTA and WTO rules, once raw materials, logs, water, gas, oil etc. starts going across the borders it can not be reduced, or stopped, only increased, until it runs out.

The purpose of these treaties, fraudulently called agreements, has always been total exploitation and the elimination of the democratic decision making rights of societies. No government is permitted to protect any percentage for home use.

This is what they call "Rules based, wealth creating free trade"

This racket is also a good example of the simple fact that all export based economies will and must sooner or later collapse. The only solution would be is the demolition of the huge, automated mills, built for exports, and their replacement with small, low tech, locally owned, labour intensive units.

We have a number of them operating here, with a few people, using a fraction of the timber used per capita of the large mills, making a very good living, including one next door to us. One of our neighbouring low cost ,low investment mills, operated by family members with Masters degrees in forestry and economics, are making a good living with scientifically and environmentally endorsed logging and prefab home and lumber production .

Such examples could be repeated all across Canada, but that would cut our the parasites, called "foreign investors", and that wouldn't be "business friendly" at all. Now when people have to rely on carpetbaggers for jobs, trouble is only a breath away, but all our governments can do is beg for more.

Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC,

Canada has been run by Quislings since Mulroney.........

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RickW