Builders urge U.S. Trade Rep. to keep U.S.-Canada Lumber Pact a bilateral issue

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today called on the U.S. government to avoid using the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement (TPP) as a means of renegotiating the U.S.-Canadian softwood lumber agreement prior to its 2015 expiration date.

The U.S. is currently in talks with Canada regarding its participation in ongoing negotiations of a TPP trade pact with several other nations. However, NAHB strongly believes that the softwood lumber accord between the U.S. and Canada should not be part of the TPP trade pact negotiations. It would be highly inappropriate for discussions on the U.S.-Canada softwood lumber agreement to include any nations other than the U.S. and Canada.