[beaver fever]

"Tell me about it...I don't get it either. What in God's name did we do to Canada"

Well I don't know maybe it could have something to do with NAFTA, a so called free trade agreement we signed with you the last time we had a conservative government. (Brian Mulroney. Remember the "Shamrock Summit"?)

The US has tried for fifteen years to argue that Canadian softwood lumber is subsidized and has lost it's case in the WTO, GATT and the NAFTA review panel (where the US has a majority and still lost.)

Failing in every review process the DOC imposed a trade penalty against Canadian softwood of 25%. The argument was a "trade penalty" wasn't a tariff (illegal under NAFTA)which is just a play on words.

Meanwhile you pass the Helms Burton amendment that awards the money collected from Canadian mills to American mills as compensation for unfair trade practices.

At last count Canadian companies have paid out $3.2 Billion in penalties to the US Government of which $102 Million has been paid to US sawmills for doing diddly squat in terms of improving their own efficiency or securing wood supply.

As it stands now Slocan Lumber, the most efficient mill in BC provides all it's wood supply from second growth forest planted eighty years ago. The own their wood because they and their predecessor companies grew it.

Then there's Canadian Beef, barred from the US by a Montana beef lobby who are so concerned about contaminated Canadian Beef that they took advantage of the BSE epidemic (of three head of cattle) to buy up 30,000 head of calves in Alberta for dimes on the dollar and imported them into the US. Meanwhile Alberta ranchers are going broke.

That's two examples of, "What we did to Canada????"

Maybe you could think of a couple of others.

If you are hoping for a conservative government in Canada in the next election removing these two issues might be a good idea considering it is the conservative west that that is hurting most from these issues.

To put it in perspective, if a conservative Alberta rancher has to choose between the BFE blockade and gay marriage as the most important issue affecting them you can guarantee it's going to be his ranch.

[Windcatcher]

(shrug) Then you should unsign NAFTA. I've never been 100% sold on it. I think the jury is largely out here on its benefits and if it was scrapped I don't forsee much of an outcry.

[crz]

Maybe you can explain to the rest why the Canadian government maintains a subsidy on stumpage which results in lower product going to your sawmills?

And dont come around me with this..what subsidy BS either! I know several Canadian loggers who pay an average of about 2 dollars a cord for their standing timber from the Canadian Gubermnt. Across the boarder in the US we now pay an average of 30 a cord, and its going up. You see BUB..your timber companys have an advantage when they can obtain the raw materials (logs etc) at a low price. Then sell the finished product across the boarder using that subsidy. Hell I know one logger who has been on an island east of here that hasnt paid a friggan dime for the stumapage he obtained from your Canadian Gubermnt. They figure since he had to build a bridge to get to it he is entitled to it for free. Been working that Island for years now. AND talk about the fine forestry practices! If we did what they do there, in the USA, they'd shoot us!