Canada is launching a public relations campaign in the US to garner support among the American public for its side in the softwood lumber dispute.
The campaign, backed by C$17m of government funding via the Forest Products Association of Canada, is being run by the US-Canada Partnership for Growth to make Americans aware of the importance of trade between the two countries and to focus on the effect US duties have on Canadian lumber producers.
Television and print advertisements will target high-growth states in the American south-west where the effect from the duties is effectively driving up home prices.
The partnership is headed by James Blanchard, a former US ambassador to Canada, and William Brock, who was labour secretary in Ronald Reagan’s government.
Canada’s softwood lumber exports to the US are worth about C$6.4bn annually, making up a third of the American market. The wood is used predominantly in home construction and renovation.
