“We appreciate the government’s swift recognition of the serious situation facing Canada’s wood products manufacturers, and its decisive action to initiate a Global Safeguard investigation on behalf of our industry. This investigation sends a strong signal to the Canadian market and to our trading partners that Canada will advocate for balanced and fair trade conditions.
However, this investigation is only the first step of many that must be taken.
Our position from the start has been that the Global Safeguard measure must be combined with immediate provisional tariffs on foreign-made goods entering Canada. The investigation alone will not be sufficient to provide the immediate relief and stability our industry needs, and to protect the tens of thousands of Canadians who depend on it.
The consequences for the industry are real, and they are already happening. Jobs have been lost, family-owned businesses have shut their doors, and communities are under increasing strain — and more will follow if Canadian manufacturers are forced to wait out the duration of the investigation with no tariffs in place.
Canada’s wood products manufacturers need a level playing field on which to compete. The Canadian Wood Products Alliance will continue to advocate on their behalf, fighting for local goods, local jobs, and the communities they sustain.”
