A new U.S. national security investigation into wood product imports, launched by President Donald Trump through a Section 232 order, poses a direct threat to Canada’s softwood lumber sector and downstream wood products, according to Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union. The union warns that the move could jeopardize thousands of jobs across the country.
“To suggest our lumber and byproducts are a threat to American security is ludicrous, but Trump is going back to his playbook to twist regulations and continue sustained attacks on the Canadian softwood industry and the jobs that depend on it,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
The trade probe could result in additional tariffs on Canadian lumber, adding to the existing 14.5% combined duties on Canadian softwood. The investigation comes ahead of a planned 25% tariff on all Canadian goods, set to take effect on March 4, 2025.
“The existing unjustified duties have already hurt our industry, resulting in job losses and production slowdowns. Now Trump aims to pile tariff on top of tariff to further weaken our forestry sector, with the goal of pricing our industry out of existence,” said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier.
Canada is the largest supplier of imported lumber to the U.S., meaning any new tariffs would hit Canadian workers disproportionately. “The reality is the U.S. needs to import lumber, and tariffs will only drive up costs for American consumers, particularly home buyers,” Cloutier added.
Unifor has called for immediate retaliation, demanding dollar-for-dollar countermeasures against any new U.S. tariffs and urging Canada to implement industrial policies to protect national resources.
“It’s clear the attacks from Trump will keep coming, so Canada must have responses in place while taking simultaneous action to safeguard and develop our industries to protect good-paying jobs,” said Payne.
