Chrystia Freeland heralds 'real breakthrough' on softwood lumber negotiations

Canada's international trade minister says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's official visit to Washington helped securea "real breakthrough" in the contentioussoftwood lumber negotiations.

"We have now managed to get the Americans to the table, we have managed to raise attention to this issue at the very highest levels,"Chrystia Freeland said in an interview with Chris Hall on CBC Radio'sThe House.

"We have the U.S.president announcing in the Rose Garden that he believes a deal can and must be done. That's tremendous," she said. "I don't want to downplay to anyone the complexitythe fiendish complexityof the softwood lumber issue [but]this was a realbreakthrough," she said.

• 12 things Trudeau and Obama agreed on
• Trudeau-Obama bromance's real prize comes with the world watching: Chris Hall
• Keystone 'sucked all the oxygen' out of Canada-U.S. relationship, new ambassador says

Trudeau and Obamainstructed Freeland and her American counterpart,Michael Froman, to explore all options for solving the trade dispute and report back within 100 days.

The House10:14Interview - Chrystia Freeland

Canada's International Trade Minister, and the chair of the cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations, discusses what was accomplished during Justin Trudeau's official visit to Washington.

Canada's new ambassador to the U.S., David MacNaughton, was more pessimistic about the prospect of a deal.

"I've met with the White House about this,we're trying to chart a path forward that has a high degree of possibility of success, but it's tough. It's in the U.S. industry's interest to avoid a long, litigious thing. The only thing that's good for, it's good for lawyers," he toldThe Housein a separate interview.

U.S. producers vow to fight

The previous softwood lumber agreement expired Oct. 12, 2015, but includeda grace periodthat prevents the U.S. from launching any trade action against Canadian producers for one year.

The original dealto revoke U.S.trade barriers against Canadian lumber was signed in 2006 and renewed in 2012, after years ofdisputeat the World Trade Organization and an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 job losses for the Canadian industry.

More than $4.5 billion in tariffs were eventually returned to Canadian exporters. Since then,export charges have been levied on Canadian productswhen the lumberprice dropped below a certain amount.

U.S. lumber companies oppose the import of softwood, claiming Canadian companies have an unfair advantage with their preferential access to Crown-owned lands with lower stumpagefees.

"I'm very well aware of that," Freeland said of theopposition, "and that's why Iwas cheering when I heard the U.S. president it's not my president, it's their president saying a deal is a good thing and we're going to reach one and that's what he said."

Obama was asked about softwood during the bilateral press conference at the White House on Thursday. "This issue of softwood lumber will get resolved in some fashion.It's been a long-standing, bipartisan irritant," he said.

Obama, Trudeau optimistic on softwood lumber

9 years ago

Duration 2:21

'It will be fine, U.S. president says of perennial trade irritant with Canada

Trudeausaid he was hopeful a deal was imminent. "I'm confident that we are on a track towards resolving this irritant in the coming weeks and months," he told reporters.

'Structure of a deal' within 100 days

Freelandsaidthe new timelineand commitment from the Americanswould not mean the end ofsoftwood disputes once and for all.

"I don't want people to think this is going to be done and dusted, and we don't have to worry about softwood negotiatingfor another 10 years. But what we have committed to is to make significant, meaningful progress towards a dealto have the structure, the key elements there a 100 days from now."

Freeland and Froman willreport back to their leaders just before Obama travels to Ottawa in June, wherehe will address Parliament and participate in the"Three Amigos" summit between Canada, Mexico and the U.S..