Trade row looms as US-Canadian lumber deal fails

[tuvor]

ONE of the world’s biggest bilateral trade settlements signed last month between America and Canada aimed at resolving a 20-year lumber dispute is on the brink of collapse.

Sources involved with the deal announced by President Bush and Stephen Harper, the Canadian prime minister, have told The Business that the terms are unworkable and Harper does not have the industry support needed to carry it through.

(snip)

Last week Canada’s trade minister, David Emerson, went some way to confirming that there were problems with the agreement in testimony to a parliamentary committee studying the deal.

He said the deal might be “dead on arrival” before a Canadian Commons vote and confirmed the lumber companies could kill it by refusing to withdraw their outstanding legal challenges.

This is a significant U-turn after Emerson had previously said the negotiations were over and companies could not block the deal even if they wanted to.

http://www.thebusinessonline.com/Stories.aspx?Trade%20row%20looms%20as%20US-Canadian%20lumber%20deal%20fails&StoryID=DE039DD5-8BED-4B8F-827F-E409200A797D&SectionID=F3B76EF0-7991-4389-B72E-D07EB5AA1CEE

[MrPrax]

1. Harper has made it worst...

than it was before.

But this article, while interesting to get another perspective, never really states how there will be a 'trade row' and for some reason didn't bother to mention the stunning string of victories Canada has chalked up at the various 'dispute' bodies...but it does focus nicely on the ineptitude of the Harpies in failing to get industry on board in the first place.

The Economist is good for infusing political motiviations and back stories in their economic reporting; something that is sadly missing from business reporting here, where the neo-con ideology of 'removing government and politics' from everyday life tends to frame tales of titans who mightily beat the war toms of commerce far removed from the decadent perfidy of spend-happy gubbermint spending 'our money'.

Why do I think that in the end Emerson will probably just resign? -- this was probably the ONLY reason for him to stick around anyhow and he more or less humilated himself for little more than Harper's foolish 'go it alone' timber gambit done purely for political leverage in the US. Harper failed miserably

Now it's all blown up...but not forgotten come election time

:evilgrin: