Softwood bailout plan delayed until month’s end

A made-in-Canada solution to help softwood producers and workers weather the storm of U.S. duties has been delayed at least until the end of May.

It has been almost a month since the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped import duties of three to 24 per cent on Canadian softwood, arguing Canada unfairly subsidizes its industry by keeping the price of logging artificially low.

Cabinet discussed a package of options for up to $1 billion in aid for the softwood industry earlier this week, but negotiations with industry and provincial governments are still underway.

A source with knowledge of the negotiations says Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr had hoped to have the plan ready to present publicly by the end of this week, but things didn’t quite come together in time.

The House of Commons is off next week for a break week, which means the earliest cabinet can discuss and finalize the plan now is May 30.

Multiple sources say there were meetings at the provincial level to discuss the package options this past week. A Quebec source told The Canadian Press the government was reluctant at first to do any kind of aid package, but has since changed its mind.