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Canada, U.S. friendlier after first year of Harper's reign Jason Fekete Calgary Herald Wednesday, January 24, 2007 After several years of frosty relations between the world's two largest trading partners, United States Ambassador David Wilkins said Tuesday that Prime Minister Stephen Harper's first year in office has sparked a renaissance in the Canada-U.S. partnership. That sentiment was echoed by policy analysts on both sides of the border, who cited the softwood lumber deal, Canada's commitment in Afghanistan and the chummy ties between Harper and U.S. President George W. Bush for repairing a threadbare relationship. CREDIT: Ted Jacob, Calgary Herald...

Softwood deal survives vote in House of Commons Updated Tue. Sep. 19 2006 6:00 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff The controversial softwood lumber deal easily passed its first parliamentary vote on Tuesday, therefore ensuring the survival of the minority Conservative government. The House of Commons voted 172-116 in favour of a ways and means motion -- the first step in the formal approval process. If it had failed, the country would have faced an election, as Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had made it a matter of confidence, but its passage had been expected. But while the NDP and...

Canada and the United States finalized a deal to end a long-standing trade dispute over softwood lumber on Saturday after ironing out final details on the sidelines of World Trade Organization talks in Geneva. Canadian Trade Minister David Emerson and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab initialed the agreement in a late- evening ceremony on Canada's national holiday. The seven-year deal -- first agreed to in principle in late April -- now needs to be formally approved by both sides and should take effect on October 1, Emerson said. "This is a very exciting way for me to celebrate Canada Day,"...

WASHINGTON — Congress put its final stamp of approval Wednesday on legislation dumping a trade law that allows U.S. companies to profit from penalties on Canadian imports like softwood lumber. The measure, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2007, was part of a massive budget-cutting bill passed by the House of Representatives. President George W. Bush said in a statement he looked forward to signing the bill. Canada has always argued the so-called Byrd amendment must go. The five-year-old law allows the Treasury to funnel money from duties on imported goods directly to U.S. rival companies. It's still unclear what...

London, Ont. — Former U.S. president Bill Clinton drew a standing ovation from a Canadian audience last night after he strongly endorsed Prime Minister Paul Martin's tough public stand on softwood lumber and implicitly criticized Washington's refusal to abide by a NAFTA panel ruling on the issue. "I don't think he's got an option," Mr. Clinton said of Mr. Martin's recent linkage of the lumber dispute with Canadian energy exports to the United States. "If I were the Canadian prime minister, that's what I'd say." The speech delivered to a sold-out crowd of nearly 4,000 at the John Labatt Centre...

Ottawa pushes to sell energy, wood to China By MICHAEL DEN TANDT Tuesday, October 11, 2005 P OTTAWA — Less than a week after Prime Minister Paul Martin publicly raised the spectre of energy restrictions as a lever in the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute, the federal government is launching an aggressive push to sell energy and wood to China. "Now is the time to diversify Canada's trade and investment relations, especially in China, and especially in energy and other natural resources," Revenue Minister John McCallum said. Mr. McCallum, who became acting Natural Resources Minister last month after John Efford stepped...

U.S. reluctance to live up to NAFTA rulings on softwood lumber tariffs and its efforts to protect domestic lumber producers against imports of Canadian softwood are "nonsense and a breach of faith," Prime Minister Paul Martin said Thursday. Martin told a New York business audience "countries must live up to their agreements." He was referring to the North America Free trade Agreement (NAFTA). "We have to recognize the NAFTA is a framework, not just for the trade of commodities, but for the trade of most goods and services. And for this to operate reliably we have to rely on the...

Talk to Bush, Tories tell PM By ALLISON DUNFIELD Friday, October 7, 2005 Posted at 2:01 PM EDT Prime Minister Paul Martin should have taken the opportunity while in New York to call U.S. President George W. Bush directly on the softwood lumber dispute, the Conservatives charged Friday. They dismissed as merely a "photo-op" his trip to the United States, where he spoke to the Economic Club of New York and warned that the U.S. failure to comply with a NAFTA ruling on softwood duties may jeopardize its access to Canadian energy supplies. Mr. Martin appeared on CNN's The Situation...

Mexican President Vicente Fox has expressed support for Canada in its trade dispute with the United States over softwood lumber. Speaking in Vancouver, Canada Friday, Mr. Fox said the United States, Canada, and Mexico must abide by rulings made under the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. A NAFTA arbitration panel recently ruled that the United States should not impose hefty tariffs on imported Canadian lumber. The United States has not lifted the tariffs. It says Canada's government subsidizes lumber exports, creating an unfair advantage over U.S. timber companies. Referring to the lumber dispute, Mr. Fox said Mexico regrets...

Canadian lumber producers had paid $4.1 billion in softwood duties to the end of 2004. Softwood conflict could cost consumers. "This is a big deal. Ottawa is going to retaliate to collect the entire amount of the duties," Cameron said. "It's hard to say where this is going to go now." Cameron applauded both the provincial and federal governments for finally recognizing American intransigence over the softwood issue for what it is: a blow aimed directly at the North American Free Trade Agreement. NAFTA dispute settlement panels have already determined that Canadian lumber imports do not injure the U.S. industry,...

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada and the United States are both claiming victory in the first round of what's likely to be a long battle over crippling U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber exports. Softwood exporters, politicians and even American home builders were jubilant Friday after the World Trade Organization ruled against the United States on eight of nine important points. The ruling is preliminary but will make it much harder for Washington to continue to justify punishing duties that now average 27 per cent against Canada's $10-billion softwood industry, said Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew. "Clearly, this decision goes the way...