Political Quotes

“Canada may be our good northern neighbor, but it is not friendly in trade matters. The Journal of Commerce reports that last year, under the Canadian Free-Trade Agreement [CFTA], a five member dispute resolution panel overturned a 6.5 percent duty placed by the United States on imports of Canadian softwood lumber. The tariff was to offset Canadian subsidies which had pushed down lumber prices in the United States. American lumber officials charged that two Canadian panel members had ties to both the Canadian lumber industry and Canadian Government. This is not the first time the United States has charged a conflict of interest on the dispute panels. Trade negotiators are concerned that the CFTA panel reveals a critical flaw in the dispute panel system. This decision exposes the fact that special interests can influence the panels and harm U.S. interests. Remember CFTA panels, NAFTA panels and GATT panels all operate the same. We should say no to this system when we debate GATT, the granddaddy of the agreements.”