wearisomely protracted dispute.
Perhaps one solution, although far from perfect, is for Canadian federal and
provincial leaders to reach a solid consensus on a bargaining position, including revised
stumpage fees, and then work behind the scenes to determine what the Bush White House
would be willing to do to reach a long-term softwood accord enforceable for at least a
decade. Work must also continue on limiting the effects of anti-dumping and
countervailing duty provisions in the United States which would also directly benefit
Canada’s softwood industry. Certainly, Canadian negotiators should proclaim time and
time again that Canada is the number one foreign supplier of petroleum products to the
United States and this assistance is offered at the expense of future generations of
Canadians who might be deprived of depletable and non-renewable oil and natural gas
resources which have been sent to the U.S. market. Special emphasis should be placed
on conversations with Vice President Dick Cheney who has a good grasp of what Canada
is providing in the energy field and could place pressure on others in the administration to
push for a long-term solution to the softwood controversy.
The second recommendation is for the federal, provincial, and even municipal
governments to continue to expand their contacts in the United States in both the public
and private sectors. The expansion of the lobbying team within the embassy and the
addition of new consulates and consulate-generals are steps in the right direction, even
though Canada is still underrepresented when one considers how important the United
States is to Canada’s future economic well-being. The Heynen and Higginbotham two-
volume study on building cross-border links is a great starting point for ascertaining what
has been done in the past and possibilities for new links in the future.
include federal government to federal government, provincial government to state
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Convention