Canada's international trade minister allows U.S. to divide provinces in dealing with softwood lumber dispute

Canada's international trade minister is allowing the U.S. to divide provinces in dealing with the multibillion-dollar softwood lumber dispute, says Canadian Alliance critic John Duncan. "Pierre Pettigrew has abdicated his responsibility and created circumstances whereby the U.S. is now negotiating directly with the provinces in a divide-and-conquer arrangement on softwood lumber,'' said Duncan. He was speaking Sunday at a news conference which was rescheduled to start earlier than originally called. Duncan's comments were in reference to the imposition in August of a 19.3 percent preliminary countervailing duty on all Canadian softwood going into the U.S. market. The Atlantic provinces are exempt from the duty. The U.S. Commerce Department imposed the tariff after agreeing there was evidence Canadian lumber is subsidized through low provincial timber-cutting fees.