Lumber producers in New Brunswick are calling on Parliament to ratify the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
The trilateral free trade agreement, which has already been ratified by the U.S. and Mexico, is still being studied by a House of Commons standing committee.
In a statement, the New Brunswick Lumber Producers (NBLP) said ratification may allow for a final settlement in the ongoing softwood lumber dispute.
“Currently, the majority of NBLP members are paying a crippling duty of over 20 per cent on exports to the United States,” said the NBLP in a statement.
The NBLP said this is a “severe disadvantage” for producers who have long been recognized as operators within a free and fair trade forest system.
“Ratification will not only lead to bigger markets for Canada but may allow for a final settlement of the softwood lumber dispute and more opportunity for lumber producers in rural New Brunswick,” the group said.
Jerome Pelletier, the chair of the NBLP, declined our request for an interview about the topic.
The New Brunswick Lumber Producers represent 95 per cent of the softwood lumber produced in the province.
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