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U.S. sets tax total for Canadian softwood lumber exports at almost 35 per cent
Softwood lumber taxed at 34.75 per cent by U.S.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
The BC Lumber Trade Council says Canadian softwood lumber now faces total import taxes of almost 35 per cent after the latest review from the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The organization representing B.C. lumber producers says the new figure is down from the combined rate of 45 per cent announced in August last year.
But Kim Haakstad, the council's interim president, says their members are disappointed that Canadian lumber producers still face unjustified and punitive trade measures.
She says in a statement that the combined weight of duties and tariffs remains a significant burden on producers.
The statement says the softwood lumber dispute has dragged on for nearly a decade, putting pressure on forest-dependent communities.
The council says the Commerce Department has imposed countervailing duties at 14.11 per cent, an anti-dumping rate of 10.64 per, and the additional tariff of 10 per cent, which U.S. President Donald Trump levied on the grounds of national security.
Haakstad says families in the United States are also paying a price, because trade barriers have driven up the cost of building homes there and hurt companies that sell equipment and services to Canadian mills.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Major projects CEO faces B.C. First Nations frustrated over lack of consultation
Major projects CEO faces B.C. chiefs
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken
Major Projects CEO Dawn Farrell told First Nations in B.C. today that the frustrations expressed over a lack of consultation made her feel like Canada is "never going to work," but her office is determined to try.
Farrell was addressing the B.C. Assembly of First Nations at its annual general meeting.
Media were asked to leave the room before Farrell's appearance, but the meeting continued to be publicly streamed on the B.C. Assembly of First Nations YouTube channel.
First Nations in B.C. are calling on Ottawa to set national standards for Indigenous consultations on major projects.
Chiefs say they were given just 11 working days to review and engage on whether the proposed Pacific Link pipeline should be designated as a project of national interest.
Farrell said she agrees with the concept of national consultation standards but she wonders how such standards would work alongside the government's accelerated timelines for project approvals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.
By Nick Murray and Alessia Passafiume | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Chiefs of Ontario, NAN demand withdrawal of Bill C-39
The bill would set a one-year deadline for certain federal project decisions.
The Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation and several regional Indigenous leaders want Ottawa to withdraw its major projects bill, saying faster approvals could leave communities without enough time to examine what development would mean for their lands and waters.
COO and NAN are being joined by the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations in rejecting Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, as outlined in an Oct. 8 joint statement.
“This government is writing legislation about our lands and our future without us at the table,” NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said.
Introduced Sept. 21, the bill would set a one-year deadline for certain federal project decisions once proponents provide the required information and studies. It would also let Ottawa designate regions of national interest, giving certain projects in those areas access to a streamlined approval framework.
The federal government says the legislation would reduce duplication, speed up reviews and give investors more certainty. Ottawa also says it would continue to meet its duty to consult, treaty obligations and commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP).
The First Nations organizations say communities need time to study potential impacts, hear from their citizens and obtain technical and legal advice. They argue federal deadlines must allow that work to happen.
Their concerns also extend to environmental safeguards and designating entire regions for development. They say a regional designation cannot be treated as consent from every First Nation whose territory could be affected.
The bill would shift responsibility for some assessments to federal energy and nuclear regulators. It also proposes changes to laws governing fisheries, species at risk and navigable waters, alongside transportation and labour provisions.
MPs voted 296 to 26 on Oct. 8 to send the bill to a legislative committee after second reading. It has not become law. The Senate also authorized a study of the bill’s subject matter before receiving it from the Commons.
The organizations criticized the pace of parliamentary review. They said they support jobs and sustainable development but warned that proceeding without meaningful First Nations involvement could lead to conflict and litigation rather than the certainty Ottawa is seeking.
Copyright 2026, Kenora Miner & News. All rights reserved.
Pam Fedack, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Kenora Miner & News.
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