The US and Canada are both claiming victory following the World Trade Organisation‘s (WTO) final ruling on countervailing duties imposed by America on Canadian softwood lumber imports, according to industry newsletter Random Lengths.
Canada claimed the ruling, which was not made public, backed its assertion that its lumber industry is not subsidised. The US claims the opposite but concedes that the WTO had ruled it had used an improper method to determine the subsidy level.
The US will make an appeal, which if it loses would give it 12-15 months to implement any changes based on the WTO decision.
The combination of countervailing duties totalling 18.79% and an anti-dumping levy have resulted in thousands of workers being laid off at Canadian mills.
