Canada needs tougher softwood negotiators

Editor: The U.S has (again) imposed a per cent tariff on B.C. softwood lumber: Why does Canada consistently send third-stringers to negotiate with American first-stringers over softwood lumber?

Do those Canadians not do their homework? For years, illegal loggers have been cutting hardwood trees in Indonesia’s rain forests. They boom those logs across the Malacca Strait to Malaysia. The Malaysians then export the logs to the U.S. “duty free.” Most of the Indonesian rain forests have been destroyed.

If ever there was a reason for the Americans to stop importing illegal hardwood from Indonesia; the loss of those rain forests should be reason enough to stop that illegal activity cold.

The Yanks actually have plenty of reasons to bash Canada.

Since 1968, Canada has been a NATO moocher and freeloader. Before Pierre Trudeau became prime minister, Canadian NATO troops were the pride and envy of the alliance.

Trudeau reduced our NATO commitment to half strength, then pulled us out of NATO’s front line, out of harm’s way. By 1970, the NATO alliance was “booing” Canada. Back to the lumber situation. Surely Canada has some tough guys with the “right stuff” to stand up to the Yanks. There are plenty of nations who would take our softwood. For more than 40 years, an Indo-Canadian has been shipping 40 containers of softwood annually to the Bombay market. For hundreds of years, Indian carpenters have used teak to finish their houses.

Realizing the demand and availability of Canadian softwood, those fully loaded containers are sold even before the ships dock and unload their cargo.

If one man can be this successful, imagine what a thousand exporters can do — not to mention the huge Chinese market waiting to buy B.C. softwood lumber.

Canada cannot afford to wait. Russia is selling bootleg lumber across its border to China.

Ernie Slump, Penticton