Ottawa and Washington have begun talks toward renewing a pact regarding the export of Canadian lumber to US markets, Canada’s trade minister, Chrystia Freeland told lawmakers in Ottawa Thursday, said NASDAQ.com.
Freeland said Canadian negotiators were in Washington last week to meet with their US counterparts about a new lumber-trade agreement.
A spokesperson for the Office of the US Trade Representative didn’t elaborate.
Canada-US Softwood Lumber Discussions
Freeland said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the issue with President Barack Obama in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila.
Canadian forest products represent roughly 8 per cent of total Canadian exports, according to the most recent trade data. In 2015, exports of forest products rose 9.2 per cent from a year earlier to 3.47 billion Canadian dollars ($2.53 billion).