Softwood Lumber Trade Dispute

British Columbia and the forest industry have been engaged for decades with the United States in ongoing Softwood Lumber trade litigation. The 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement provided stability and predictability until its expiry on October 12, 2015, triggering the latest round in the lumber dispute.

On this page:

• Current state of Softwood Lumber trade with the U.S.
• Recent news
• Current rates

Current state of Softwood Lumber trade with the U.S.

On November 25, 2016, the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations ( “COALITION”) filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Commerce, alleging Canadian lumber is unfairly subsidized and dumped into the U.S. market, launching the “Lumber V” proceedings. B.C. is well prepared to respond to this litigation and will continue to defend B.C.'s interests against these unfounded allegations. B.C. is working alongside the federal government, other Provinces and the forest industry to respond to the ongoing litigation that imposes countervailing duties and anti-dumping duties on Canadian lumber. We also seek recourse through appeals to the US Court of International Trade, the World Trade Organization, and under the Canada/US/Mexico Agreement (formerly NAFTA).

• Additional Lumber V update information may be found on the Government of Canada website
• Learn more about the current litigation
• Learn more about the appeals challenges and decisions

Recent news

December 9, 2024: The U.S. Department of Commerce announced new deadlines for the sixth administrative review

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced new deadlines for the sixth administrative review. In response to operational adjustments required by current circumstances, they are delaying their AD and CVD proceedings by 90 days, as outlined in their memos.

• U.S. Department of Commerce Memos on Tolling of Deadlines regarding AD (PDF, 143KB) and CVD (PDF, 161KB) proceedings.

September 24, 2024: AR5 Amended Final Rates

The U.S. Department of Commerce published amended final results of the antidumping (AD) case for the fifth Administrative Review (AR5) in the Federal Register; rates are effective September 24, 2024.

• U.S. Federal Register: Amended Final Results of AR5 AD Case (PDF, 219KB)

The above table shows final amended rates for the fifth Administrative Review released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. These amended cash deposit rates took effect on September 24, 2024, the original Federal Register publication date of the final results.

August 12, 2024: AR5 Final Determination

The U.S. Department of Commerce released its final determinations for the fifth Administrative Review (AR5) in the antidumping duty (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations of imports of certain softwood lumber products from Canada.

The final determination rates are listed in the table below. See the U.S. Federal Register Notice for final results of the AD (PDF, 227KB) and CVD (PDF, 209KB) investigations; rates are effective August 19, 2024. 

• Government of British Columbia Statements 
• Government of Canada Statement
• U.S. Department of Commerce Final Determination Memo of AR5 AD investigation (PDF, 677KB)
• U.S. Department of Commerce Final Determination Memo of AR5 CVD investigation (PDF, 1.9 MB)

May 6, 2024: NAFTA Chapter 19 Panel Ruling - CVD

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Chapter 19 panel ruling on the United States Department of Commerce's final countervailing duty determination has been issued.

• Panel report (PDF, 1.4 MB)
• Government of British Columbia Statement
• Government of Canada Statement

​November 30, 2023: ITC Sunset Review Decision

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued their sunset review decision. The ITC voted in favour of keeping the orders in place, which means that exports of softwood lumber from Canada will continue to be subject to antidumping and countervailing duties. Results of the sunset review will become official once the final determination is published in the U.S. Federal Register, expected late December 2023 or early January 2024.

The sunset review is a requirement under U.S. law for the ITC and U.S. Department of Commerce to review existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders every five years to determine if they are still needed.

• Government of British Columbia Statement
• Government of Canada Statement

Rate tables

The above table shows final amended rates for the fifth Administrative Review released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. These amended cash deposit rates took effect on September 24, 2024, the original Federal Register publication date of the final results.

The above table shows final amended rates for the fourth Administrative Review released by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  These amended cash deposit rates took effect on August 1, 2023, the original Federal Register publication date of the final results.