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Ambassador Wilkins is optimistic |
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| Niagara Falls, Ontario, Wednesday, April 5, 2006 by: Joe Hueglin |
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U.S. Ambassador Wilkins is optimistic the soft wood lumber dispute will be resolved this year in “that people of good faith can work out their differences.”.(1) NAFTA panels' decisions have time and again found in Canada's favour. Supposedly binding they have been ignored every time by the Ambassador’s government. There is one last opportunity to show “good faith” in that "The only NAFTA appeal left for the U.S. is an extraordinary challenge, which it must do by April 27, 2006." (2) Should the U.S. not launch an appeal the softwood lumber dispute is resolved, aside from a return of the $5 000 000 000.00 wrongly collected from Canadian lumber companies according to the NAFTA panels' decisions. Should the American government launch | ||||||||
US Ambassador David Wilkins |
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an appeal then only through Canada agreeing to changes in our way of doing things which have been found to be fair practices) can the Ambassador's resolution occur.Any such agreement that includes “a system of quotas or an export tax during a temporary settlement while the provincial governments change their timber management systems to more resemble a U.S.-style auction system” (3) will be through capitulating to the Americans. Ambassador Wilkins is optimistic. By April 27th it will be seen whether what he's anticipating is resolving the dispute through his government’s action or ours. |
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| References: | ||||||||
1. Brown, Jim, U.S. ambassador predicts softwood lumber spat could be resolved in 2006, February 4, 2006 Canadian Press |
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3. National Post, Wilson to lead special softwood talks, (pdf) April 1, 2006, National Post |
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