U.S. softwood proposal attacked

The president of the Ontario Forest Industries Association yesterday took a swing at the latest U.S. proposal for ending the softwood lumber dispute, saying the presentation unveiled in Washington last week "is not a road forward, it's an obstacle course." "The bottom line is that this document doesn't offer any meaningful way forward," said Tim Millard. His group is the first major industry association in Canada to criticize the draft document, a further refinement of a presentation delivered by the U.S. Commerce Department last month. According to Mr. Millard, Ontario would be required to rewrite its forest policy if it adopted the proposal, putting in place changes he describes as "regressive" and harmful to the industry. According to U.S. officials, the proposal is aimed at providing a set of instructions for provinces that want to climb out from under punishing U.S. lumber duties.