Ottawa Sues U.S. In Lumber Trade War

As I have always said, Freetrade is all about making rich lawyers, nothing more.

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Good government is not a party government

Useless, since NAFTA has no provision for compelling either party to accept rulings by any of panels convened under NAFTA and therefore cannot be used as a legal basis for suing the US. As far as suing the US, that is an action that has nothing to do with NAFTA but rather with US trade law, and is an avenue open to Canada under the GATT without signing onto NAFTA.

Let us not worry, Wayne. It will only take another 5 years in the courts. At only $500/hr. we can afford all kinds of good legal advice. Ed Deak, Big Lake, BC>

They did finally mention possible tariffs against oil exports in the national post on the front page yesterday.....that and California Wine and Orange Juice IIRC....at LEAST they are finally mentioning the oil exports....It is insane that we even allow foreigners to own any oil.....keep e-mailing the governmenet for trade sanctions, the pressure is obviously getting to them!!!

They might even be appointing the lawyers.

Right on Brother! Let's raise prices in Canada through the roof! Who needs to eat when we have self-righteousness!

The cost of living is going to go through the roof any way, so why frigging around, lets send them a message and stop kissing their ass.

So far we are paying the price and we are not in a war with anyone, we never had any national disasters, the Yanks are not paying a attention to the ruling on soft wood, so frigg them , turn down or off the flow of oil, they will chock before we do. Our population is only 30+million , they have about 350 million mouths to shut up. They have national problems, they have a big bill to pay for that selfish war they picked.

Paul Martin coal hauling shipping line is doing ok these days and as long as he is in the Prime Ministers seat , he and his friends are always going to do ok, it us who are being taken for the ride.

The time has come to start thinking Canadian.

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Good government is not a party government

We are NOT American. We shouldn't have to settle for what they desire. We are adults and don't have to do what the big guy wants. We can think on our own.

My God, someone else understands that we are Canadians and not Americans. It is not a question of can we think, but when will we start?

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Good government is not a party government

Wow, so Canada can't afford to fight back in a single, limited-scope trade dispute with a single foreign nation, without completely jeopardizing our entire national livelihood.

Thanks for so succinctly defending the core anti-NAFTA thesis.

"...We're dealing now with misguided patriotism, with war-whoop nationalism. Judging by the rhetoric, the warmongers are pushing us close to mobilization. Odd, isn't it, that there is no actual "softwood lumber crisis" to resolve? Odd, isn't it, that the Maritimes do perfectly fine with market-based stumpage fees -- but the rest of the country can't or won't? (New Brunswick, for example, has increased softwood lumber production from $82-million in 1990 to $570-million in 2004, a sevenfold increase, 90 per cent of it exported to the United States and all without a U.S. duty of any kind.) Odd, isn't it, that B.C. has already committed itself to reforms that will simulate market-based stumpage fees? Odd, isn't it, that Canada would threaten trade war to prevent the honest price reform that would end the entire dispute?..."<br />
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<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050831/RREYNOLDS31/TPBusiness/Columnists">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20050831/RREYNOLDS31/TPBusiness/Columnists</a>

I don't think it will be for a while.

Because the Cdn government is composed heavily of lawyers, is in effect one big lobby group to the law profession, I figure when the aggregate lawyers' bills reach that $5 billion (or whatever it is by the time things are settled in the Softwood dispute), then the money will be "repatriated".

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RickW