Trump Slaps First Tariffs On Canadian Lumber

CNN ^ | April 24, 2017

[Varda]

We're highjacking this thread but here. You need to add up what's going on here.
Dealing With China's 'Quality Fade'

[redfreedom]

I’ve never bought Chinese lumber products, but I have bought Canadian lumber and had similar experiences as you with regards to quality. The Cannucks do produce good lumber that does not turn into a pretzel after it dries.

In the late 90’s had a home built new in Canada and moved to the US. The quality was just unbelievable. The local building inspector could not believe the quality.

[NorthMountain]

'He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps, and pays a high ta-riff.'

No, he doesn't pay the tariff. You do ...

[j.argese]

It's a shame too. I worked in Canada for a couple of months in the
late '80s. Some damn nice people up there. Well, that was after I called one of them out for saying "The food is good enough for them." in French, pointing at my co-workers and I. And the women!

[Varda]

I don't want to leave the impression that I believe every Chinese factory does this. There are good factories in China that don't engage in this practice. It's a matter of knowing them. I have dealt with a factory that did this stunt. It's a short term profit maneuver. As you point out others will enter a market with unhappy customers but that takes time to ramp up.

[bray]

Not too surprising when we ship our logs to China and have plywood shipped back. They can make it cheaper since the labor involved in plywood is a major factor.

[bray]

These negotiations have been going on for decades and so have these tariffs. He actually just renewed them which were put in place during Clinton.

[oincobx]

And lumber futures have risen from 330 to 400 in the past couple of months in anticipation.
https://www.cmegroup.com/apps/cmegroup/widgets/productLibs/esignal-charts.html?code=LBS&title=MAY_2017_Random_Length_Lumber_&type=p&venue=0&monthYear=K7&year=2017&exchangeCode=XCME

[binreadin]

I support your views regarding the decline in quality, and have also observed that in many countries the quality they produce is directly in proportion with the interest shown in the production process by the owners/developers. Once the process gets established and the close scrutiny goes away, the quality becomes shoddy. Have you tried to buy even a high-quality hose reel lately? Used to be some excellent ones on the market, now we can only find cheap, flimsy knock-offs that leak and snag.

[Forgotten Amendments]

This is insane.

[Former Proud Canadian]

I posted to you a few days ago that the softwood lumber dispute has been ongoing since the late 19th century. I was wrong, it dates back to 1865 and even earlier. Sorry to mislead you.

[j.argese]

Thanks!
@1865, wouldn't that be a British dispute? Wasn't 1867 the beginning of Federation?

[Former Proud Canadian]

Touche.

You are, of course, correct. Prior to 1867 Upper Canada (Canada West) and Lower Canada (Canada East) were united in a colony known as "The Province of Canada" with the capital in Kingston. Britain was in charge of foreign relations and was negotiating trade relations with the US.

So, the software lumber dispute predates Canadian Confederation. Now you know more about Canadian history than you want to.

[j.argese]

Another failure of the electronic conversation!

I didn't mean for that to come across as a wise ass but as a sincere interrogatory! Apologies to you

[Former Proud Canadian]

Ha hah, none needed. I strive for accuracy, thanks for the correction.

As for the Canadian history lesson, research led me back to the rebellions of 1837-1838. Battles were fought where I live that I had forgotten about. I remembered the Fenian raids and the rebellion but not the particular local battles.