Focus on Forest Products: Forest Industry Competitiveness Strategy

Originally published November 2005

On November 24, 2005 the Government of Canada, through the Ministry of Natural Resources, announced the Forest Industries Competitiveness Strategy. This strategy, an initiative worth close to CDN $1.5 billion, is targeted at buttressing the competitiveness of the Canadian forest industry in the global market place, while also supporting the economic sustainability of forest-dependent communities across the country.

A significant component of the strategy seeks to provide short-term relief to the forest industry from the strain imposed on its treasury as a result of the refusal by the United States Department of Commerce to refund approximately CDN $5 billion in duties collected since 2001 despite rulings from NAFTA panels that the basis invoked to establish the duties was without merit.