Canada slaps trade sanctions on U.S.

[CatBoreal]

http://money.canoe.ca/News/Economy/2005/03/31/978118-cp...

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's trade dispute with the United States heated up Thursday as Ottawa announced millions of dollars in sanctions on some American imports as a pressure tactic on Washington.

The announcement of unusual retaliation measures - a 15 per cent surtax on cigarettes, oysters and live swine from the U.S. - came as the European Union announced a similar move.

But the Canadian sanctions, worth about $14 million annually, paled in comparison with $4 billion in softwood lumber duties that Washington has collected and insists it can give to American lumber producers under a domestic trade rule known as the Byrd amendment.

Canada is joining countries from around the world protesting the Byrd amendment, which the World Trade Organization has deemed illegal.

*SNIP*

A little too little, but it's about BLOODY time!

[D-Notice]

1. Not just Canada

The EU as well

Guess you'll be having dearer choccies & flat-pack furniture! ;)

[Trillo]

2. Can you fix your link?

The one you have now takes me here:
http://www.canoe.ca/Error/404_money.html

This might be the same story:
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=7535d018-1935-4ae6-b8e2-a4c8b4c7f2f4

[Buns_of_Fire]

3. A 15% surtax on live swine from the U.S.?

I presume this is intended to prevent visits from members of the current administration.

[Spazito]

4. ROFL!

It must be, I was wondering why swine was singled out!

[Hand]

5. Dang! Ya beat me to it! nt

[Theres-a]

10. BWAHAHAHA!

[deacon2]

13. Damn... that was my line!

[cliss]

6. Well, here we go.

Brace yourselves, kids. This is the start of that very nice DU title: "The Backlash Cometh". Count on world leaders calling each other on the phone and discussing this stuff. They are most probably working together, since we are now the "bleeding beast" like Stan Goff calls the US.

Stan Goff: "The Beast bleeds, and a billion people are watching".

[CoffeeCat]

7. Man, the US is getting their hineys handed to them today...

First the EU slaps tariffs on some US-produced goods for violating environmental regulations. Now Canada is sanctioning us with fines.

These fines are a direct result of Bush's ham-handedness and his failure as a diplomat.

Not only is he a selfish, reckless jerk who does what he wants--he's also incapable of sitting down and engaging in intelligent, rational, give-and-take conversations with world leaders.

Hence, we get fined.

When will this country wake up and take notice. Bush is a diplomatic failure and a shameful representation of this country.

It's about time that the world stood up to Bush the cowboy. No one is impressed. In fact, most are sickened and growing weary of his man-boy antics.

I'm glad to see that the world is beginning to hold * accountable.

[Earth_First]

8. WB retaliation after the installation of Wolfowitz to follow?

Stay tuned, pass the popcorn...

[CHIMO]

9. Amount Will Escalate

As time goes on.

Wednesday Nov 24, 2004 OTTAWA: CANADA TO CONSULT OVER TRADE DISPUTE WITH U.S.
Canada's trade minister, Jim Peterson, says he'll hold public consultations to ask Canadians whether Canada should retaliate over the refusal of the U.S. to implement a trade ruling of the World Trade Organization. Mr. Peterson says retaliation is not Canada's preferred reaction, but the U.S. has failed to meet its international obligations. The WTO has ruled that the "Byrd amendment" is illegal under international law. It allows American companies to receive the revenues generated by countervailing duties and antidumping tariffs on their foreign competitors. Canadian softwood lumber firms have paid $3 billion in such duties since 2002. Small amounts of the money were paid by the U.S. government last year; $1 billion could be paid annually starting in 2007 if the duties are still being collected. On Aug. 31, the WTO ruled that Canada and six other nations paying such duties could retaliate by charging their own duties on U.S. imports. Earlier this month, Canada submitted its final retaliation authorization request to the WTO.

http://www.wednesday-night.com/newsWTO.asp

"$1 billion could be paid annually starting in 2007 if the duties are still being collected."

[enki23]

11. i have no problem with the byrd amendment

or with the sanctions. i only hope they all eventually contribute to the decline and fall of anti-labor "free trade" agreements.

[CHIMO]

12. FTA Needs

Radical changes or elimination.

However, if one wishes to keep the Byrd amendment then the WTO will have to go or the other WTO members will have to adopt similar type of legislation.

[Carolab]

14. I wish all other nations would do this.

If there are still duties/surcharges/tariffs attached to imports, then manufacturers will be forced to bring manufacturing back into the U.S.

[earth mom]

15. I'm SO glad they are doing this! It's about time these countries

told * to F-off!

And honestly, do we manufacture all that much in this country these days anyway? Instead, we've got a "service" economy now, doncha know, with millions of working poor people making minimum wage who are told to shut up and deal with it. :sarcasm:

[tuvor]

16. If the shoe were on the other foot...

That would be $40 billion we'd be keeping and telling bush to stuff it.

That's about 20% of bush's war of choice. He'd do anything to take it back.