Give 'Em Some Stick!

Having lost the trade war over Canadian softwood lumber imports in every trade forum from NAFTA and WTO, the US still cannot abide losing. Its illegal trade sanctions have already ripped the heart out of a number of BC communities.  Now, news is that the US Congress is about to make matters a whole lot worse.

My own solution is quite simple: Let the US economy survive without Canadian lumber until they come to their senses.

As the Canadian government, I would simply agree to purchase all of the lumber produced for export in Canada.  If I could sell some of it elsewhere (Japan, China?), I would.  If not, I would simply store it.  The cost over time will be less than the duties we are paying, the business we are losing, and the unemployment checks we have to cut.

Let's see what U.S. housing starts (and construction costs) look like after a year with only domestic lumber available.