In New Trade Front, Trump Slaps Tariff on Canadian Lumber -
By PETER BAKER and IAN AUSTENAPRIL 24, 2017
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Monday
that it would impose new tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber imports, escalating a longstanding conflict with America’s second-largest trading partner.
The Commerce Department determined that Canada had been improperly subsidizing the sale of softwood lumber products to the United States,
and after failed negotiations, Washington decided to retaliate with tariffs of 3 percent to 24 percent.
Responding on Monday to a complaint filed by American mills, the Commerce Department found
that five Canadian companies received subsidies worth 3 percent to 24 percent and ordered equivalent tariffs on each of them.
The decision came days after President Trump complained bitterly about Canada’s dairy trade practices,
and the tariffs signaled a harsher turn in his relationship with Canada, even as he seeks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.