The Detroit News. The U.S. producers argue they need the restraints to protect domestic producers from Canadian lumber, which they claim is subsidized by the provincial governments.
Canadian provinces charge to harvest lumber on their lands.
They argue their U.S. counterparts are just trying to limit Canada's market share, and reject the notion that they don't protect their environment. Neither country, whose officials discuss the softwood issue almost every other day, is content with the current agreement. After it expires Saturday night, both sides plan to step up their monitoring of the border to track how much lumber flows into the United States.