Canada suspends softwood talks with U.S.

[Newsjock]

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/08/16/Canada_suspends_talks20050816.html

Canada has suspended softwood lumber talks with the United States to protest America's refusal to heed a NAFTA ruling that sided with the Canadian position. A scheduled meeting that was to start the next round of talks in the dispute has been cancelled, with no hint of when talks might resume.

"Following consultations with provincial governments, and in light of the U.S. response to the Aug. 10 decision of the NAFTA extraordinary challenge committee, the government of Canada has decided to not proceed with the negotiations planned for next week," International Trade Minister Jim Peterson said in a news release Tuesday.

... Finance Minister Ralph Goodale said Washington has to understand that "Canada takes this very, very seriously."'

NDP Leader Jack Layton has said Canada must play "hardball" with the Americans by imposing export charges on oil and gas. Otherwise, he said, the United States won't take the issue seriously.

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[annabanana]

1. Canada is on notice...

With this syndicate in control, America will not honor any of it's pledges, treaties or promises. They will insist you sign things and then sign themselves with their fingers crossed behind their backs with a "wink-wink" to their friends in the corporate world.

Whatever obligation you think that America has to you, forget it. Until this criminal gang has been removed, America's "word" is useless.... not worth the paper that's been milled.

[Spazito]

2. I totally agree with Jack Layton

"Canada must play "hardball" with the Americans by imposing export charges on oil and gas."

We should have done this many NAFTA rulings ago, if we had, we would not be having to do it now.

[Beaver Tail]

5. I second that

If we don't play hardball we will get nowhere. If the pain of MONEY is not on the table the WH admin will no listen. What I have see with treaties signed with the US they tend to be one sided.

[Burried News]

3. Bush has been screwing with Canadian Lumber imports for

more than 3 years because Canadians refused to go along with the WMD Fraud.
If you go to Lowes/Home Depot etc. you will see the impact. Last year to get decent pine you had to buy White wood from Sweden (which was very good pine by the way). The lumber is so bad and so expensive they are starting to sell major amounts of plastic and or painted fibreboard for trim.
All the while they are lying by saying tree huggers and the high use of lumber in Iraq are the cause of the high prices and shortage. And of course high oil and shipping costs are a convenient dodge.

[Canuckistanian]

6. Really? That's interesting

I've heard that the import duties have made it much more expensive to build a house, adding about 2 or 3 thousand dollars to the cost.

It's interesting to hear about other effects as well. It seems to me that this should be a major consumer interest to Americans.

[leftofcool]

4. Those darn Canadians!!!!!

They hate us for our freedoms! (heavy sarcasm)

Left of Cool

[ConcernedCanuk]

7. Time to follow Chavez's lead - market elsewhere

.
.
.

'nuff said

[mom cat]

8. Bush never believed in Free Trade...just F'ing trade.

[Puzzler]

9. If ...

... if the US does not want to abide by the committee's ruling, then it should have said so BEFORE it even went to the committee. Let's say, for sake of argument, that the committee had ruled in favor of the US... would the US have accepted the ruling then?

Jeez.


-P