Epitaph to a trade deal:Expiry of Softwood Lumber Agreement triggers memories of tense moments

摘要

As of Oct. 12, 2016, the old Canada-U.S.A. Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA) has expired, and no new agreement is in place. No doubt the briefs and petitions prepared by the U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports have already landed on the desk of the U. S. Commerce Secretary. That's what happened when the previous agreement expired in 2005, and it wasn't long before lumber duties were in place.