British Columbia Premier David Eby says news that the U.S. Department of Commerce wants to almost triple the anti-dumping duties on Canadian softwood lumber is a "massive threat" to the province's forestry sector.
The American department issued a preliminary anti-dumping rate of 20.07 per cent, up from 7.66 per cent set three years ago, which is in addition to countervailing duties of 6.74 per cent.
That brings the total for potential levies to almost 27 per cent, while the industry is still facing U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods on Tuesday.
The BC Lumber Trade Council says in a statement that the proposed hike is unjustified and will harm forestry workers and communities in Canada and further burden homebuilders and consumers in the United States.
Council president Kurt Niquidet says it is deeply disappointing that the U.S. continues to impose such trade protection measures.
A statement from Eby says the government denounces the move.
"B.C.'s iconic forestry sector and the people whose livelihoods depend on it have faced immense challenges for years and, today, are facing a new, massive threat," he said.
"B.C. has long maintained that any and all duties on softwood lumber are unjustified, and these anti-dumping duties are based on a biased calculation," he said.
Eby says increasing the anti-dumping duties is compounding challenges for an industry that is already facing tariff threats, and Trump's order this past weekend to initiate a separate investigation of imported forest products.
Trump signed executive orders on the weekend to initiate a national security investigation into lumber imports into America, and ordered that steps be taken to increase the domestic supply of timber.
The president said on Monday that the tariffs on Canadian imports would go ahead on Tuesday as planned.
Eby said Canada will be stronger if they stand together and respond with strength.
"These are unwarranted attacks, and not how allies treat each other," he said.
The Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute has been dragging on for decades, with the Americans saying Canadian producers sell below market value and that the industry is subsidized.
