Trump open to removing steel tariffs if he gets his way on NAFTA
Last week, Trump announced hefty new tariffs for imports of steel
CBC News
Posted: Mar 05, 2018 8:20 AM ET
President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with steel
and aluminum executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House on
Thursday in Washington. Trump's announcement that he will impose stiff
tariffs on imported steel and aluminum has upended political alliances
on Capitol Hill. (The Associated Press)
1549 Comments
Glen Strathy
Never give the bully what he wants.
David Amos
@Glen Strathy Methinks the
Yankees should go home and learn to make do without exploiting our
natural resources and the poorly paid labour force in Mexico anymore
N'esy Pas?
---------- Original message ----------
From: Premier
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 19:02:21 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: [PROBABLE-SPAM] Attn Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. I just called about Softwood Tariffs
To: David Amos
Thank you for your email to Premier McNeil.
This is an automatic confirmation your email has been received.
Warmest Regards,
Premier's Correspondence Unit
For the Public record these are the documents I attached to my email about Softwood Tariffs .
https://www.scribd.com/document/346747066/Arnold-and-Porter-Response
https://www.scribd.com/document/346746903/Arnold-and-Porter
https://www.scribd.com/doc/2718120/integrity-yea-right
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0
Remote-MTA: dns; eu-smtp-inbound-2.mimecast.com. (195.130.217.211, the server
for the domain dentons.com.)
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 554 Email rejected due to security policies - https://community.mimecast.com/docs/DOC-1369#554
Last-Attempt-Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 12:02:18 -0700 (PDT)
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 15:02:12 -0400
Subject: Attn Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. I just called about Softwood Tariffs
To: publicaffairs@doc.gov, sgriffith@akingump.com, lawrence.schneider@apks.com, efeldman@bakerlaw.com, deen.kaplan@hoganlovells.com, msdavenport@djtradelaw.com, mmoran@steptoe.com, matthew.clark@arentfox.com, matthew.nicely@hugheshubbard.com, dyocis@pkrllp.com, dharrison@gibsondunn.com, tbeline@cassidylevy.com, khm@mowrygrimson.com, wspak@whitecase.com, dcameron@mmmlaw.com, rweiner@sidley.com, yohai.baisburd@dentons.com, Joel.Junker@tradelawcounsel.com, wbarringer@curtis.com, pm
Cc: "David.Raymond.Amos"
https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2017/02/wilbur-l-ross-jr-sworn-secretary-commerce-vice-president-mike-pence
Wilbur L. Ross, Jr.
Secretary of Commerce and "King of Bankruptcy"
C/o
Office of Public Affairs
202-482-4883
publicaffairs@doc.gov
The documents hereto attached to and from Arnold & Porter and others
should refresh the memories of your Canadian clients and my Yankee
opponents as well.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 12:18:29 -0400
Subject: I just called about Softwood Tariffs
To: dkoschik@whitecase.com, vdesantis@whitecase.com
Cc: "David.Raymond.Amos"
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/j-d-irving-advantage-tariff-trade-softwood-lumber-1.4087231
J.D. Irving Ltd. had advantage in fighting for lower tariff, says Roger Melanson
Irving denies advantage over other companies because of operation in Maine
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Apr 26, 2017 6:03 PM A
"The company uses a top Washington law firm, White and Case, that
specializes in international trade."
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 10:41:14 -0400
Subject: Fwd: FYI I called Mr Stillwell then I listened to the Green
Meanie David Coon on CBC yapping about the Maritime Lumber Bureau and
I called them too
To: duane.woods@chaleursawmills.ca, derrickrussell@nb.aibn.com,
peterdegraaf@xplornet.ca, delfor@nbnet.nb.ca,
devonlumber@devonlumber.ca, joel.maclaggan@eacantimber.ca,
michael.godin@fornebulumber.com, jean@goguenlumber.com,
sales@langevinfp.com
Cc: "David.Raymond.Amos"
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 08:16:56 -0400
Subject: FYI I called Mr Stillwell then I listened to the Green Meanie
David Coon on CBC yapping about the Maritime Lumber Bureau and I
called them too
To: Bill.Casey@parl.gc.ca, kmerriam@mlb.ca, Premier
premier@gov.bc.ca, blaine.Higgs@gnb.ca, bostn@international.gc.ca,
Davidc.Coon@gmail.com, David.Coon@gnb.ca, Matt.DeCourcey@parl.gc.ca,
terry.seguin@cbc.ca, keith.mary@jdirving.com, pfolkins@snbwc.ca,
brian.gallant@gnb.ca, rick.doucet@gnb.ca, woodlot@nbnet.nb.ca,
nsfpmb@nbnet.nb.ca, odvdm@nbnet.nb.ca, info@cvwpa.ca,
Bruce.Northrup@gnb.ca
Cc: "David.Raymond.Amos"
Alaina.Lockhart@parl.gc.ca
Maritime Lumber Bureau
P.O. Box 459
Amherst, Nova Scotia
B4H 4A1
Phone: 902.667.3889
Hainesville Sawmill Ltd.
2779 Rte. 104
Middle Hainesville, NB
E6E 1H3
(506) 463-2261
Stillwell didn't know me from Adam and didn't much care and disagreed
with me about Trump's actions. So I told him to cantact the Maritime
Lumber Bureau because they have had my documents since 2005 and they
and the Feds are the ones who dropped the ball dealing with Trump
about softwood tariffs. It was not all Gallant's fault this time but a
lot of the blame can be shouldered by Blaine Higg's and his old buddy
David Alward who is now our top Fed in Beantown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7c4VjtY3-M
Maritime Lumber Bureau
David Amos
66 views
REPublished on Apr 4, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Ir55k6kMY
Maritime Lumber Bureau 2
David Amos
REPublished on Apr 4, 2013
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/02/re-fatca-nafta-tpp-etc-attn-president.html
Tuesday, 14 February 2017
RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I just got
off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-853-0114) Why does he lie
to me after all this time???
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:51:14 -0400
Subject: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I
just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-853-0114) Why
does he lie to me after all this time???
To: president , mdcohen212@gmail.com, pm ,
Pierre-Luc.Dusseault@parl.gc.ca, MulcaT , Jean-Yves.Duclos@parl.gc.ca,
B.English@ministers.govt.nz, Malcolm.Turnbull.MP@aph.gov.au,
pminvites@pmc.gov.au, mayt@parliament.uk, press , "Andrew.Bailey" ,
fin.financepublic-financepublique.fin@canada.ca, newsroom ,
"CNN.Viewer.Communications.Management" , news-tips , lionel
Cc: David Amos , elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca, "justin.ling@vice.com,
elizabeththompson" , djtjr , "Bill.Morneau" , postur ,
stephen.kimber@ukings.ca, "steve.murphy" , "Jacques.Poitras" ,
oldmaison , andre
---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos
Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to mdcohen212@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-853-0114.
________________________________
This communication is from The Trump Organization or an affiliate
thereof and is not sent on behalf of any other individual or entity.
This email may contain information that is confidential and/or
proprietary. Such information may not be read, disclosed, used,
copied, distributed or disseminated except (1) for use by the intended
recipient or (2) as expressly authorized by the sender. If you have
received this communication in error, please immediately delete it and
promptly notify the sender. E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed
to be received, secure or error-free as emails could be intercepted,
corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late, incomplete, contain viruses
or otherwise. The Trump Organization and its affiliates do not
guarantee that all emails will be read and do not accept liability for
any errors or omissions in emails. Any views or opinions presented in
any email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily
represent those of The Trump Organization or any of its
affiliates.Nothing in this communication is intended to operate as an
electronic signature under applicable law.
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Finance Public / Finance Publique (FIN)"
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 2017 22:05:00 +0000
Subject: RE: Yo President Trump RE the Federal Court of Canada File No
T-1557-15 lets see how the media people do with news that is NOT FAKE
To: David Amos
The Department of Finance acknowledges receipt of your electronic
correspondence. Please be assured that we appreciate receiving your
comments.
Le ministère des Finances accuse réception de votre correspondance
électronique. Soyez assuré(e) que nous apprécions recevoir vos
commentaires.
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/
Thursday, 27 April 2017
YO Jean-Pierre Blais the Smiling Bastards in Google had my old
Faithful Motomaniac333 deleted today Right after I sent an email to
Dick Tracy and the FEDS
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Gallant, Premier Brian (PO/CPM)"
Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 00:32:01 +0000
Subject: RE: YO Jean-Pierre Blais the Smilling Bastards in Google had
my old Faithfull Motomaniac333 deleted today Right after I sent an
email to Dick Tracy and the FEDS
To: David Amos
Thank you for writing to the Premier of New Brunswick. Please be
assured that your email will be reviewed.
If this is a media request, please forward your email to
media-medias@gnb.ca. Thank you!
http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.ca/2017/02/yo-chucky-leblanc-re-latest-jdi-lawsuit.html
Monday, 6 February 2017
Yo Chucky Leblanc RE latest JDI lawsuit Here is scoop for ya the media
won't touch BTW I called your old pal Jeannot Volpe at (506) 737 4436
and left voicemail just so he can't say I talked behind his back N'esy
Pas?
---------- Original message ----------
From: "Gallant, Premier Brian (PO/CPM)"
Date: Mon, 6 Feb 2017 16:10:07 +0000
Subject: RE: Yo Chucky Leblanc RE latest JDI lawsuit Here is scoop for
ya the media won't touch BTW I called your old pal Jeannot Volpe at
(506) 737 4436 and left voicemail just so he can't say I talked behind
his back N'esy Pas?
To: David Amos
Thank you for writing to the Premier of New Brunswick. Please be
assured that your email will be reviewed and if a response is
requested, it will be forthcoming.
Nous vous remercions d’avoir communiqué avec le premier ministre du
Nouveau-Brunswick. Soyez assuré(e) que votre courriel sera examiné
et qu’une réponse vous parviendra à sa demande.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/softwood-lumber-tariff-irving-united-states-1.4088004
'I was pretty sure it was coming': Hainesville sawmill prepares to close over tariff
Hainesville Sawmill Ltd. will close next week but owner hopeful business will resume in 6 months
CBC News Posted: Apr 27, 2017 12:12 PM AT
Earlier this week, the U.S. administration of Donald Trump
announced tariffs of almost 20 per cent on softwood lumber from New
Brunswick. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)
This week, the U.S. announced its new tariffs on softwood lumber, and rather than pay thousands of dollars per load shipped across the border, Stillwell prepared to close his sawmill, Hainesville Sawmill Ltd., northwest of Fredericton.
Starting next week, six employees at the sawmill in Middle Hainesville will be out of a job for at least six months.
"I was pretty sure it was coming, probably 99 per cent sure it was coming," Stillwell said in an interview.
- Softwood border duties could hurt 25 N.B. sawmills, government says
- Uncertain future: New tariff will hurt N.B. sawmills' bottom line
- J.D. Irving Ltd. had advantage in fighting for lower tariff, says Roger Melanson
Tariffs of almost 20 per cent were announced for all New Brunswick lumber producers with the exception of J.D. Irving Ltd.
For decades, the U.S. lumber industry has argued that because most Canadian timber is harvested on Crown land, the way provincial governments manage and set prices means cheaper lumber.
Stillwell, who has been in the industry 10 years, said 100 per cent of the rough cedar lumber that he's purchased is private wood, which is why he feels he shouldn't be targeted for duties.
'I could live with three per cent, same as Irving, but I can't deal with 20 per cent.' -Danny Stillwell,
He called the wood a niche product and said the Maine business that buys from him is going to be affected by the sawmill's closure.
"They really need the product that I deliver in Maine," Stillwell said. "They're going to be hurting in the months ahead because this is their busy fencing season, their busy log home season.
The province's largest forestry company, J.D. Irving Ltd., managed to secure a lower tariff rate of three per cent after submitting thousands of pages of documents to the U.S. Commerce Department to support its case.
"With Commerce being such a large organization, they really don't care about a small operator like myself," Stillwell said.
"I could live with three per cent, same as Irving, but I can't deal with 20 per cent."
A wait and see approach
At the beginning of March, the New Brunswick sawmill stopped purchasing logs. Stillwell said he's been busy trying to clear his inventory."I'm shutting down on my terms," he said. "I could keep going and bleed the company dry, [but] that's not my intention."
The 65-year-old is hopeful, however, that negotiations between Canadians and the U.S. will eliminate or substantially lower the tariff and that his company will be up and running again in six months.
"Everybody would like to see a zero rate for the Maritimes or at least down to the three per cent that Irvings are at," he said.
'Claims unfounded'
Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs, said there is no way the U.S. can make an argument that New Brunswick is subsidizing its forestry industry.
Fredericton MP, Matt DeCourcey says New Brunswick should be excluded from tariffs on softwood lumber. (CBC)
DeCourcey said government is working for an exclusion from the tariffs and has been speaking with sawmills across the province, looking for financial options to aid communities that are going to feel the impact.
"It's the view of the federal government, shared by the provincial government, that that exclusion should still be in place, that the industry is not unfairly subsidized in our province, and that the system in our province is not fundamentally different from that of our neighbouring provinces.
"Nor fundamentally different from other provinces across the country."
YESTERDAY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeo0CfQd8DQ
Fredericton MP Matt DeCourcey sits down with Blogger to debate a few issues!!!!
Charles Leblanc
Published on Apr 27, 2017
MANY MOON AGO
http://oldmaison.blogspot.ca/2005/09/sussex-gold-found-and-bernard-lords.html
Thursday, September 29, 2005
SUSSEX - GOLD FOUND AND BERNARD LORD'S OPINION!!!!
Raising a Little Hell- Lively Debate Provokes Crowd
By Erin Hatfield
"If you don't like what you got, why don't you change it? If your
world is all screwed up, rearrange it."
The 1979 Trooper song Raise a Little Hell blared on the speakers at
the 8th Hussars Sports Center Friday evening as people filed in to
watch the Fundy candidates debate the issues. It was an accurate, if
unofficial, theme song for the debate.
The crowd of over 200 spectators was dwarfed by the huge arena, but as
they chose their seats, it was clear the battle lines were drawn.
Supporters of Conservative candidate Rob Moore naturally took the blue
chairs on the right of the rink floor while John Herron's Liberalswent
left. There were splashes of orange, supporters of NDP Pat Hanratty,
mixed throughout. Perhaps the loudest applause came from a row towards
the back, where supporters of independent candidate David Amos sat.
The debate was moderated by Leo Melanson of CJCW Radio and was
organized by the Sussex Valley Jaycees. Candidates wereasked a barrage
of questions bypanelists Gisele McKnight of the Kings County Record
and Lisa Spencer of CJCW.
Staying true to party platforms for the most part, candidates
responded to questions about the gun registry, same sex marriage, the
exodus of young people from the Maritimes and regulated gas prices.
Herron and Moore were clear competitors,constantly challenging each
other on their answers and criticizing eachothers’ party leaders.
Hanratty flew under the radar, giving short, concise responses to the
questions while Amos provided some food for thought and a bit of comic
relief with quirky answers. "I was raised with a gun," Amos said in
response to the question of thenational gun registry. "Nobody's
getting mine and I'm not paying 10 cents for it."
Herron, a Progressive Conservative MP turned Liberal, veered from his
party'splatform with regard to gun control. "It was ill advised but
well intentioned," Herron said. "No matter what side of the house I am
on, I'm voting against it." Pat Hanratty agreed there were better
places for the gun registry dollars to be spent.Recreational hunters
shouldn't have been penalized by this gun registry," he said.
The gun registry issues provoked the tempers of Herron and Moore. At
one point Herron got out of his seat and threw a piece of paper in
front of Moore. "Read that," Herron said to Moore, referring to the
voting record of Conservative Party leader Steven Harper. According to
Herron, Harper voted in favour of the registry on the first and second
readings of the bill in 1995. "He voted against it when it counted, at
final count," Moore said. "We needa government with courage to
register sex offenders rather than register the property of law
abiding citizens."
The crowd was vocal throughout the evening, with white haired men and
women heckling from the Conservative side. "Shut up John," one woman
yelled. "How can you talk about selling out?" a man yelled whenHerron
spoke about his fear that the Conservatives are selling farmers out.
Although the Liberal side was less vocal, Kings East MLA Leroy
Armstrong weighed in at one point. "You’re out of touch," Armstrong
yelled to Moore from the crowd when the debate turned to the cost of
post-secondary education. Later in the evening Amos challenged
Armstrong to a public debate of their own. "Talk is cheap. Any time,
anyplace," Armstrong responded.
As the crowd made its way out of the building following the debate,
candidates worked the room. They shook hands with well-wishers and
fielded questions from spectators-all part of the decision-making
process for the June 28 vote.
Cutline – David Amos, independent candidate in Fundy, with some of his
favourite possessions—motorcycles.
McKnight/KCR
The Unconventional Candidate
David Amos Isn’t Campaigning For Your Vote, But….
By Gisele McKnight
FUNDY—He has a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket, a chain on his
wallet, a beard at least a foot long, 60 motorcycles and a cell phone
that rings to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."
Meet the latest addition to the Fundy ballot—David Amos.
The independent candidate lives in Milton, Massachusetts with his wife
and two children, but his place of residence does not stop him from
running for office in Canada.
One has only to be at least 18, a Canadian citizen and not be in jail
to meet Elections Canada requirements.
When it came time to launch his political crusade, Amos chose his
favourite place to do so—Fundy.
Amos, 52, is running for political office because of his
dissatisfaction with politicians.
"I’ve become aware of much corruption involving our two countries," he
said. "The only way to fix corruption is in the political forum."
The journey that eventually led Amos to politics began in Sussex in
1987. He woke up one morning disillusioned with life and decided he
needed to change his life.
"I lost my faith in mankind," he said. "People go through that
sometimes in midlife."
So Amos, who’d lived in Sussex since 1973, closed his Four Corners
motorcycle shop, paid his bills and hit the road with Annie, his 1952
Panhead motorcycle.
"Annie and I rode around for awhile (three years, to be exact)
experiencing the milk of human kindness," he said. "This is how you
renew your faith in mankind – you help anyone you can, you never ask
for anything, but you take what they offer."
For those three years, they offered food, a place to sleep, odd jobs
and conversation all over North America.
Since he and Annie stopped wandering, he has married, fathered a son
and a daughter and become a house-husband – Mr. Mom, as he calls
himself.
He also describes himself in far more colourful terms—a motorcyclist
rather than a biker, a "fun-loving, free-thinking, pig-headed
individual," a "pissed-off Maritimer" rather than an activist, a proud
Canadian and a "wild colonial boy."
Ironically, the man who is running for office has never voted in his life.
"But I have no right to criticize unless I offer my name," he said.
"It’s alright to bitch in the kitchen, but can you walk the walk?"
Amos has no intention of actively campaigning.
"I didn’t appreciate it when they (politicians) pounded on my door
interrupting my dinner," he said. "If people are interested, they can
call me. I’m not going to drive my opinions down their throats."
And he has no campaign budget, nor does he want one.
"I won’t take any donations," he said. "Just try to give me some. It’s
not about money. It goes against what I’m fighting about."
What he’s fighting for is the discussion of issues – tainted blood,
the exploitation of the Maritimes’ gas and oil reserves and NAFTA, to
name a few.
"The political issues in the Maritimes involve the three Fs – fishing,
farming and forestry, but they forget foreign issues," he said. "I’m
death on NAFTA, the back room deals and free trade. I say chuck it
(NAFTA) out the window.
NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement which allows an
easier flow of goods between Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Amos disagrees with the idea that a vote for him is a wasted vote.
"There are no wasted votes," he said. "I want people like me,
especially young people, to pay attention and exercise their right.
Don’t necessarily vote for me, but vote."
Although…if you’re going to vote anyway, Amos would be happy to have
your X by his name.
"I want people to go into that voting booth, see my name, laugh and
say, ‘what the hell.’"
----- Original Message -----
From: David Amos
To: Sgro.J@parl.gc.ca ; legerv@sen.parl.gc.ca ; trenhm@sen.parl.gc.ca
; ringup@sen.parl.gc.ca ; losier@sen.parl.gc.ca ;
Thibault.L@parl.gc.ca ; Poirier-Rivard.D@parl.gc.ca ;
Picard.P@parl.gc.ca ; Lavallee.C@parl.gc.ca ; Guay.M@parl.gc.ca ;
Gagnon.C@parl.gc.ca ; Faille.M@parl.gc.ca ; Deschamps.J@parl.gc.ca ;
Demers.N@parl.gc.ca ; Brunelle.P@parl.gc.ca ; Bourgeois.D@parl.gc.ca ;
Bonsant.F@parl.gc.ca ; oec-bce@parl.gc.ca
Cc: buckley@pol.state.ma.us ; steve@djflynn.com ; ombud@globe.com ;
paul@djflynn.com ; dan@djflynn.com ; letter@globe.com ;
publicrelations@cubanmission.com ; rusun@un.int ; france-presse@un.int
; uk@un.int ; contact@germany-un.org ; c103@c103.com ;
general.info@thomson.com ; davidamos@bsn1.net
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 12:16 PM
Subject: I bet a man named Mr. Tax who works for the Justice Dept
doubts that he will
----- Original Message -----
From: David Amos
To: scottmk@gov.ns.ca ; bev.harrison@gnb.ca ; ted.tax@justice.gc.ca ;
graham@grahamsteele.ca ; hepstein@supercity.ns.ca ;
deveaux.mla@ns.sympatico.ca ; ddexter@ns.sympatico.ca
Cc: davidamos@bsn1.net ; BBACHRACH@bowditch.com ; adams_sammon@msn.com
; fbinhct@leo.gov ; david@lutz.nb.ca ; HeafeyS@cpc-cpp.gc.ca ;
alicia.mcdonnell@state.ma.us ; Scott.A@parl.gc.ca
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 11:08 AM
Subject: Hey Ted Tax as soon as I saw that the Lt. Gov had honoured you
I figured you would do nothing to rock the Queen's boat for reasons of
job security. However even you and your pension funds rely on the
ethics of the Yankees employed by the SEC in the USA. Perhaps you
should side with me ASAP. My kids need a roof over their heads. I am
not above suing anyone to get one including the Queen and the Holy
See. However it is your job to prosecute criminals not mine. Correct?
"Ted Tax and the Department's Atlantic Regional Office (ARO) were
honoured at a Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor's Awards Ceremony. Tax
was presented with a Certificate of Recognition for "contribution to
the Reserve Force by taking positive action to assist its employees
who are reservists in maintaining their commitments to the Canadian
Forces." Following September 11, 2001, there was an increase in the
demand for military legal officers on operational deployments. Major
John Smithers, a lawyer with the Tax Law Services Section of the ARO,
was granted military leave to serve on an overseas mission."
For the record this is the text of the cover letter sent to Baker etc.
Lets see what Mr. Speaker has to say now. I believe he is an ex cop
ain't he? Lets see if he remembers how to uphold the law. If not don't
you think it is high time that the lawyers in the NDP give the crooked
Conservative Goverment the Boot? Everybody knows they are lapdogs for
George W. Bush. Why else did he make it a point to fly down and see
them last year and snub Paul Martin and his cohorts in Ottawa?
July 31st, 2005
Lt. Gov. J. Léonce Bernard Lt. Gov. Myra A. Freeman
Premier Pat G. Binns Premier John F. Hamm
c/o Att. Gen. Mildred A. Dover c/o Att. Gen. Michael Baker
105 Rochford Street Room 5151 Terminal Road
Charlottetown, PEI C1A 7N8 Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2L6
Lt. Gov. Norman L. Kwong Lt. Gov. Iona V. Campagnolo
c/o Att. Gen. Ron Stevens c/o Att. Gen. Wally Oppal
208 Legislature Building Stn Prov Govt PO Box 9044
9E210800 - 97 Avenue Parliament Buildings East Annex
Edmonton, Alberta T5K 2B6 Victoria, BC V8V 1X4
RE: Public Corruption
Hey,
Apparently everybody wanted to play dumb about my concerns and
allegations so that Humpty Dumpty Martin’s minority government would
not fall and they could party hardy while the Queen was in Canada. As
you all know months ago, I began faxing, emailing and calling the
eight other Lt. Governors I had yet to cross paths with. I fully
informed them of my indignation towards the Governor General Clarkson
and two of her other Maritime Lieutenants Roberts and Chaisson before
the latest wave of bad acting Yankees invaded my home in the USA
without warrants or due process if law.
I made certain all of the provincial Attorney Generals and Premiers
can never deny the fact that I tried to make them well aware of my
concerns and allegations in order to make everybody should sit up and
pay attention. Not one person from any of your offices ever responded
in any fashion at all. You can be certain that I expected the
deliberate ignorance. It is one of the oldest tricks in the book that
lawyers employ in order to play their wicked game of see no evil, hear
no evil speak no evil. I knew it would happen particularly after Nova
Scotia’s Conflict of Interest Commissioner Merlin Nunn had blocked my
emails before I had contacted you. I have no doubt it helped to
relieve him of his ethical dilemma before the NS NDP decided what to
do about their chance to unseat the Conservatives. I have no doubt
whatsoever many lawyers in Canada were praying that the Suffolk County
District Attorney would have me back in the loony bin by April 28th
and that all your troubles would go away. I opted to let you all have
your way and did not bother you anymore until the Queen had left our
shores and Parliament quit for the summer. Now it is my turn to have
some fun and raise a little Political Hell.
While the Queen, Clarkson and Martin where all having a grand old time
on the Canadian dime my little Clan went through living hell down
here. Trust me, lawyers need to learn some new tricks. Ignorance is no
excuse to the law or me. Making some Canadian Attorney Generals and
their political buddies show me their arses is child’s play to me
after all that I have experienced in the last few years. If you doubt
me ask Michael J. Bryant and Yvon Marcoux why I am so pissed at their
bosses and the DHS. Then check my work for yourself. If the tag team
of John Ashcroft and Tom Ridge could not intimidate me, believe me you
people don’t have a prayer. Both of those dudes have quit their jobs
but I am still standing and squaring off against their replacements
now. If it were not for all the decent folks I know, the snotty ones
like you would make me feel ashamed to be a Canadian. There is no
shortage of lawyers. It is just that ethical ones that are rare birds,
that’s all. You must know how easily the Canadian people can replace
you with other lawyers if it becomes widely known how willing you are
to ignore crime if it means some fancy dude may be compelled to suffer
for his own wrongs.
The justice system is supposed to be self-policing. It should clean up
its own act rather than trying to maintain a false mask of integrity
for lawyers that are obviously criminals. It is way beyond my
understanding why you people would choose to support the likes of Paul
Martin, Adrienne Clarkson, T. Alex Hickman and Billy Matthews if you
are not all as crooked as hell as well. The deliberate ignorance and
double-talk employed by the wealthy few to dodge simple truths is
absolutely offensive to ordinary people blessed with the rare
attribute called common sense. Not all folks are like sheep.
Paul Martin’s latest tricks make for a very fine example of truly how
bad things are. Even amidst wholesale scandals breaking out hell, west
and crooked everywhere lawyers and politicians just close ranks and
stand together as thick as the thieves they are. I stress tested the
ethics of the ladies of the Bloc Quebecois and the Gomery Inquiry
immediately after Martin’s carefully orchestrated little circus in
Parliament on May 19th was a matter of history. Lets just say I was
not surprised to not hear one peep in response from anyone other than
to get a call from an unidentified and very nervous but cocky Yankee
lawyer claiming that Tony Blair was mad at me.
Pursuant to my phone calls, emails and faxes please find enclosed as
promised exactly the same hard copy of what I sent to the Canadian
Ambassadors Allan Rock and Franky Boy McKenna and a couple of nasty
FBI agents on May 12th just before an interesting event in front of
our home in Milton. I have also included a copy of four letters I have
received in response since then that you may find interesting to say
the least. I also sent you a copy of a letter sent to a lady Ms.
Condolezza Rice whom our former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
considers to be the most powerful woman in the world. The CD of the
copy of police surveillance tape # 139 is served upon all the above
named Attorney Generals as officers of the court in order that it may
be properly investigated.
I will not bother you with the details of what I am sending to you
byway of the certified US Mail because I will be serving identical
material to many other Canadian Authorities in hand and tell them I
gave this stuff to you first and enclose a copy of this letter. All
that is important to me right now is that I secure proof that this
mail was sent before I make my way back home to the Maritimes. However
I will say I am also enclosing a great deal more material than what
Allan Rock had received in the UN. Some of it is in fact the same
material the two maritime lawyers, Rob Moore and Franky Boy McKenna in
particular received, while I was up home running for Parliament last
year. Things have changed greatly in the past year so I have also
included a few recent items to spice things up for you. I am tired of
trying to convince people employed in law enforcement to uphold the
law. So all I will say for now is deal will your own conscience and be
careful how you respond to this letter. If you do not respond. Rest
assured I will do my best to sue you some day. Ignorance is no excuse
to the law or me.
Veritas Vincit
David R. Amos
153 Alvin Ave
Milton, MA. 02186
The enclosed letter from The Public Service Integrity Office, whose
boss recently testified before the Gomery Inquiry and following quotes
prove why I must speak out.
"Well what do you expect?" said Le Hir in reaction. "Anybody who had
been involved in that kind of thing isn't going to admit readily, or
willfully, to having participated." Asked why he's waited 10 years to
come out with his allegations, Le Hir said he was "sworn to secrecy."
"I'm breaking that oath, and the only way I could have been relieved
by that oath was by a judge in a court saying, 'Mr. Lehir, I
understand that you have made an oath of secrecy; and you're hereby
relieved of that oath."
"Mr. Wallace added that police and the courts, not internal rules, are
best-equipped to deal with bureaucrats who cross the line and break
the law. But Judge Gomery did not appear satisfied. "It takes a major
scandal to get the police involved," he said. "It is not in the nature
of the public service to call in the police."
Everybody knows that in order to protect the rights and interests of
my Clan and to sooth my own soul, I have proven many times over that
all lawyers, law enforcement authorities, and politicians in Canada
and the USA are not worthy of the public trust. I maintain that their
first order of business is to protect the evil longstanding system
they have created for their own benefit rather than the people they
claim to serve. Call me a liar and put it in writing. I Double Dog
Dare ya.
Baker got my material. So did everyone else. Only the Attorney General
in Quecbec refused it. I bet our newest Governor General knows why. It
is likely for the same reason she will not accept my emails. It should
be obvious to anyone why I must sue the Crown.
USPS Track and Confirm
Label/Receipt Number: ED71 7170 440U S
Detailed Results:
Delivered Abroad, August 05, 2005, 9:23 am, CANADA
At Foreign Delivery Unit, August 05, 2005, 8:10 am, CANADA
Out of Foreign Customs, August 04, 2005, 2:52 pm, CANADA
Into Foreign Customs, August 04, 2005, 2:22 pm, CANADA
Arrived Abroad, August 04, 2005, 2:22 pm, CANADA
International Dispatch, August 03, 2005, 10:28 am, KENNEDY AMC
Enroute, August 03, 2005, 9:08 am, JAMAICA, NY 11499
Acceptance, August 02, 2005, 10:32 am, QUINCY, MA 02169
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/softwood-lumber/gobc_scope_comments_jan_9_2017.pdf
January 9, 2017
Page 6
In accordance with the Department’s regulations, we are filing this submission
electronically via ACCESS at http://access.trade.gov. Copies of this
submission are being served today on parties as indicated in the
attached certifi cate of service. If you have any questions or desire
any additional information, please feel free to contact the
undersigned.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ Spencer S. Griffith
Spencer S. Griffith
Bernd G. Janzen
Christopher T. Timura
Kimberly M. Myers
Cynthia Y. Liu
Yujin K. McNamara
Jared T. Cail
Dallas A. Woodrum
AKIN GUMP STRAUSS HAUER &FELD LLP
Counsel to the Government of British Columbia
Tel +1 202.887.4575
sgriffith@akingump.com
On behalf of the Government of Alberta
Arnold & Porter LLP
601 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Washington, DC
Tel 202.942.5694
lawrence.schneider@apks.com
On behalf of the Conseil de l'Industrie
forestiere du Quebec (CFIQ), the Ontario
Forest Industries Association, Resolute FP
Canada Inc. and Rene Bernard Inc.
Baker Hostetler LLP
1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20036-5304
Tel 202.861.1679
efeldman@bakerlaw.com
On behalf of the Government of Ontario
Hogan Lovells US LLP
555 Thirteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Tel 202 637 5799
deen.kaplan@hoganlovells.com
On behalf of the Government of Manitoba and
Government of Saskatchewan
Davenport & James PLLC
1101 30th Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20007
Tel 202 688 1040
msdavenport@djtradelaw.com
On behalf of the British Columbia Lumber
Trade Council and its consitutent associations:
the Coast Forest Products Association and the
Council of Forest Industries, and their
members
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
1330 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel 202 429 6292
mmoran@steptoe.com
On behalf of the Government of Quebec
Arent Fox LLP
1717 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-5344
Tel 202 857 6066
matthew.clark@arentfox.com
On Behalf of the Government of Canada
Representatives of Government of Canada
Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP
1775 I Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-2401
Tel 202 721 4750
matthew.nicely@hugheshubbard.com
On behalf of the Committee Overseeing
Action for Lumber International Trade
Investigations or Negotiations, which is
comprised of: U.S. Lumber Coalition, Inc.,
Collum's Lumber Products, L.L.C., Hankins,
Inc., Potlach Corporation, Rex Lumber
Company, Seneca Sawmill Company, Sierra
Pacific Industries, Stimson Lumber Company,
Swanson Group, Weyerhaueser Company, the
Carpenters Industrial Council, Giustina Land
and Timber Company, and Sullivan Forestry
Consultants, Inc.
Picard Kentz & Rowe LLP
1750 K Street, NW
Suite 800
Washington, DC 20006
Tel 202 331 5042
Email: dyocis@pkrllp.com
On behalf of West Fraser Mills Ltd.
Donald Harrison, Esq.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
1050 Connecticut Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036-5306
Tel 202 955 8560
dharrison@gibsondunn.com
On behalf of the Government of Nova Scotia
Thomas M. Beline, Esq.
Cassidy Levy Kent (USA) LLP
2000 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Suite 3000
Washington, DC 20006
Tel 202 567 2316
tbeline@cassidylevy.com
On behalf of Carrier Lumber Ltd. and Carrier
Forest Products Ltd.
Kristin H. Mowry, Esq.
Mowry & Grimson, PLLC
5335 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Suite 810
Washington, DC 20015
Tel 202-688 3610
khm@mowrygrimson.com
On behalf of J.D. Irving, Limited
Walter J. Spak, Esq.
White & Case LLP
701 Thirteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 2005-3807
Tel 202 626 3606
E wspak@whitecase.com
On behalf of Canfor Corporation
Donald B. Cameron, Esq.
Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
1401 I Street, NW
Suite 600
Washington, DC 20005
Tel 202 216 4811
dcameron@mmmlaw.com
On behalf of the New Brunswick Lumber
Producers ("NBLP") Chaleur Sawmills
Association, Delco Forest Products Ltd.,
Fornebu Lumber Ltd., H.J. Crabbe & Sons
Ltd., J.D. Irving Ltd., Marwood Lumber Ltd.
and Twin Rivers Paper Company Inc.
Richard L.A. Weiner, Esq.
Sidley Austin LLP
1501 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Tel 202 736 8790
rweiner@sidley.com
On behalf of Tembec Inc. and Eacom Timber
Corporation
Yohai Baisburd, Esq.
Dentons US LLP
1900 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20006-1102
Tel 202 408 3245
yohai.baisburd@dentons.com
On behalf of Terminal Forest Products Ltd.
Joel R. Junker, Esq.
Junker & Nakachi, P.C.
1191 Second Avenue
Suite 1800
Seattle, WA 98101
Tel 206 621 7878
Joel.Junker@TradeLawCounsel.com
On behalf of the Government of New
Brunswick
William H. Barringer, Esq.
Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
1717 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
Tel 202 452 7332
wbarringer@curtis.com
On behalf of the Embassy of Canada
Colin Bird
Embassy of Canada
501 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001-2111
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilbur_Ross
Wilbur Louis Ross Jr. (born November 28, 1937) is an American investor and politician who is currently the 39th United States Secretary of Commerce, under the Trump Administration. Ross was confirmed by the
Senate by a 72-27 vote to be the Commerce Secretary. He was a banker, known for restructuring failed companies in industries such as steel, coal, telecommunications, foreign investment and textiles. He
specializes in leveraged buyouts and distressed businesses. As of February 2017, Forbes magazine has reported that Ross has a net worth of $2.5 billion.
Ross is known as the "King of Bankruptcy" for his experience in buying bankrupt companies, primarily in the manufacturing and steel industries, and later selling them for a large profit after operations improve
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/30/us/wilbur-ross-fast-facts/
Wilbur Ross Fast Facts
CNN Library Updated 1:29 PM ET, Wed March 22, 2017
Wilbur
Ross, US billionaire, chairman and chief executive officer of W L Ross
& Co. LLC, reacts during a Bloomberg Television interview in London
on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014.
Here's a look at the life of financier Wilbur L. Ross Jr.
Personal:
Birth date: November 28, 1937
Birth date: November 28, 1937
Birth place: Weehawken, New Jersey
Birth name: Wilbur Louis Ross Jr.
Father: Wilbur Louis Ross Sr., a lawyer
Mother: Agnes (O'Neill) Ross, a teacher
Marriages:
Hilary (Geary) Ross (October 9, 2004-present); Betsy (McCaughey) Ross
(December 7, 1995-August 2000, divorced); Judith (Nodine) Ross (May 26,
1961-October 1995, divorced)
Children: with Judith Nodine: Jessica and Amanda
Education: Yale University, A.B., 1959, Harvard University, M.B.A., 1961
Other Facts:
His nickname is "King of Bankruptcy," as he builds new companies from the assets of defaulted ones.
His nickname is "King of Bankruptcy," as he builds new companies from the assets of defaulted ones.
Ross
is known for investing in distressed companies in a wide range of
industries including auto parts, steel, textiles and financial services.
Timeline:
1976-2000 - Ross works for the investment bank Rothschild Inc. During his tenure, he becomes a top bankruptcy adviser.
January 1998 - Ross
pledges $2.25 million towards then-wife and Lt. Governor Betsy
McCaughey Ross's campaign for Governor of New York. He withdraws the
funding in September and files for divorce in November.
2000 - Purchases a small fund he started at Rothschild and opens his own private equity firm, WL Ross & Co. LLC.
2002 - Establishes
the International Steel Group (ISG), with himself as chairman of the
board, through a series of mergers and acquisitions starting with
Bethlehem Steel Corp.
December 2003 - ISG goes public.
2004 - Ross forms the International Coal Group (ICG) after purchasing the assets of Horizon Natural Resources in a bankruptcy auction.
October 2004 - Merges ISG with Mittal Steel for $4.5 billion.
January 2, 2006 - A West Virginia explosion at the Sago Mine,
operated by ICG subsidiary Wolf Run Mining Co., leads to the death of
12 miners. Families of the dead and Randal McCloy, the lone survivor,
sue ICG and WL Ross & Co. claiming negligence. All of the lawsuits
are settled by November 2011.
April 2010 - Purchases a 21% stake in Richard Branson's Virgin Money. In November 2011, Ross helps Branson fund a successful bid for the British bank Northern Rock.
August 2, 2010 - In
an interview with Charlie Rose, Ross states that he's fine with higher
taxes on the wealthy as long as the government puts the money to good
use.
June 2011 - Arch Coal, Inc. acquires International Coal Group (ICG) for $3.4 billion.
September 2011 -
W.L. Ross & Co. is among a group of five American and Canadian
investors who purchase a 34.9% stake in the Bank of Ireland. Ross' share
is 9.3%.
March 21, 2016 - Nexeo Solutions, a chemical distribution company, announces their merger agreement with W.L. Ross Holding Corporation. The merger is valued at $1,575 million.
August 24, 2016 - The SEC announces that W.L. Ross & Co will pay a $2.3 million fine for failing to properly disclose fees it charged.
November 30, 2016 - Ross announces in a CNBC interview that President-elect Donald Trump has asked him to serve as his commerce secretary. His nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
February 27, 2017 - The Senate confirms Ross as commerce secretary by a 72-27 vote. He is sworn in the next day.
New Brunswick's minister in charge of trade says J.D. Irving Ltd. had advantages over other sawmill companies in the province that may have helped it win a lower tariff on its softwood sales to the U.S.
For the second day, Roger Melanson insisted that the three per cent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Irving is a sign that sawmill operators in the province are not unfairly subsidized.
But Melanson also acknowledged that Irving had the resources to make its case in Washington — resources that smaller companies lack.
"Obviously, when you want to become investigated on a voluntary basis, it's a significant investment," Melanson said, noting JDI submitted more than 9,000 pages of documents to the U.S. government.
"It's a big task and some of our smaller players in the industry may not have the same capacity."
Other softwood companies in New Brunswick and across Canada have been hit with a tariff of almost 20 per cent, a rate that industry representatives say could put some of them out of business.
The tariff will be finalized later this year, but it will be collected at the border in the meantime.
Melanson called the company "one of the most important players, of course, but they're all very important in New Brunswick's industry."
Irving is the only company in Canada to have received such a low tariff.
Melanson said the three per cent rate applied to Irving shows that New Brunswick forest companies in general should not be subject to a higher tariff.
"I think it's a very good sign," he said. "We clearly read out of this that the industry in New Brunswick is not being subsidized, and this is the rate that needs to be applied, at a maximum, to all industry."
J.D. Irving made the same argument on Tuesday.
But Melanson also acknowledged Irving is unique.
"It's obvious JDI has some elements that are different," he said when a reporter asked if Irving's operations in Maine might have spared it from a harsher tariff.
Jerome Pelletier, JDI's vice-president of sawmill operations, said
Wednesday he doesn't believe the U.S.
Commerce Department's process was influenced by the company's employment of hundreds of Americans.
"It's fact-based and I don't believe that having operations in the state of Maine changed their conclusion," Pelletier told CBC's Information Morning Saint John.
In a separate trade case involving Irving paper exports to the U.S., Maine Gov. Paul LePage and three U.S. senators lobbied the Obama administration in 2015 to not impose duties on the company's products, citing possible job impacts in their states.
The company uses a top Washington law firm, White and Case, that specializes in international trade.
Pelletier said the company maintains an "open channel of communication with different stakeholders in the United States … to ensure we're represented properly" in Washington. He said the company does this in conjunction with other New Brunswick forestry companies.
J.D. Irving Ltd. had advantage in fighting for lower tariff, says Roger Melanson
Irving denies advantage over other companies because of operation in Maine
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News
Posted: Apr 26, 2017 6:03 PM AT
New Brunswick Trade Minister Roger Melanson says the three
per cent tariff applied to J.D. Irving Ltd. sawmills shows other forest
companies should not be subject to a higher tariff.
(Radio-Canada/CBC)
New Brunswick's minister in charge of trade says J.D. Irving Ltd. had advantages over other sawmill companies in the province that may have helped it win a lower tariff on its softwood sales to the U.S.
For the second day, Roger Melanson insisted that the three per cent tariff imposed by the Trump administration on Irving is a sign that sawmill operators in the province are not unfairly subsidized.
But Melanson also acknowledged that Irving had the resources to make its case in Washington — resources that smaller companies lack.
"Obviously, when you want to become investigated on a voluntary basis, it's a significant investment," Melanson said, noting JDI submitted more than 9,000 pages of documents to the U.S. government.
"It's a big task and some of our smaller players in the industry may not have the same capacity."
Other softwood companies in New Brunswick and across Canada have been hit with a tariff of almost 20 per cent, a rate that industry representatives say could put some of them out of business.
The tariff will be finalized later this year, but it will be collected at the border in the meantime.
'Important player'
J.D. Irving, with sawmills in Baker Brook, Saint-Léonard, Kedgwick, Doaktown, Chipman and Sussex along with other operations, is the largest player in New Brunswick's forest industry.Melanson called the company "one of the most important players, of course, but they're all very important in New Brunswick's industry."
Irving is the only company in Canada to have received such a low tariff.
- Uncertain future: New tariff will hurt N.B. sawmills' bottom line
- U.S. imposes preliminary duties up to 24% on 'subsidized' Canadian softwood lumber
Melanson said the three per cent rate applied to Irving shows that New Brunswick forest companies in general should not be subject to a higher tariff.
"I think it's a very good sign," he said. "We clearly read out of this that the industry in New Brunswick is not being subsidized, and this is the rate that needs to be applied, at a maximum, to all industry."
J.D. Irving made the same argument on Tuesday.
But Melanson also acknowledged Irving is unique.
"It's obvious JDI has some elements that are different," he said when a reporter asked if Irving's operations in Maine might have spared it from a harsher tariff.
Works in conjunction
J.D. Irving Ltd.'s sawmill in Sussex is one of six the company operates in New Brunswick. (CBC)
Commerce Department's process was influenced by the company's employment of hundreds of Americans.
"It's fact-based and I don't believe that having operations in the state of Maine changed their conclusion," Pelletier told CBC's Information Morning Saint John.
In a separate trade case involving Irving paper exports to the U.S., Maine Gov. Paul LePage and three U.S. senators lobbied the Obama administration in 2015 to not impose duties on the company's products, citing possible job impacts in their states.
The company uses a top Washington law firm, White and Case, that specializes in international trade.
Pelletier said the company maintains an "open channel of communication with different stakeholders in the United States … to ensure we're represented properly" in Washington. He said the company does this in conjunction with other New Brunswick forestry companies.
Forestry changes in 2014 made New Brunswick lumber a target in U.S.
Documents filed in Washington point to increased Crown timber allocation as unfair subsidy
By Jacques Poitras, CBC News Posted: Apr 28, 2017 6:00 AM AT
David Alward, shown with James Irving, president of J.D.
Irving Ltd., in May 2014, increased the amount of Crown wood available
to the forest industry in a new forest policy that came into effect that
year. (CBC)
The U.S. forest industry's attack on New Brunswick sawmills
was based in part on the forestry plan launched in 2014 by the previous
Progressive Conservative government, according to documents filed in
Washington.
While Gallant government officials insist nothing has changed in how New Brunswick sawmills buy their wood, a coalition of U.S. companies has argued that the Alward government's increase to Crown wood allocations crossed the line.
The increase in Crown wood and the decrease in private wood helped
put the province in U.S. crosshairs, with lumber producers in that
country arguing that growing sales from Crown land amounted to an unfair
"benefit" or subsidy.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs, a member of the cabinet that approved the 2014 forestry plan, wouldn't say this week if he regrets the forestry plan, which boosted harvesting on Crown land by 21 per cent.
"The less we talk about this politically and such, the better," he said. "I don't want to make a political issue out of it."
It's not clear if the U.S. Commerce Department agreed with the industry arguments, but this week its preliminary ruling put a 19.88 tariff to all New Brunswick sawmills selling wood into the U.S.
The only exception was J.D. Irving Ltd., which faces a three per cent tariff.
Trade Minister Roger Melanson said Irving's lower tariff shows that the PC plan "didn't help to position New Brunswick companies that export softwood lumber to the U.S."
Under previous softwood lumber agreements, New Brunswick and the
other Atlantic provinces were exempt from tariffs because they weren't
seen as subsidizing their mills in the same way as other provinces.
The filing last Nov. 25 by an industry group called the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations argues that has changed, and that the Alward plan is changing it even more.
It says Crown stumpage in New Brunswick was 41 per cent of all logs in 2004, not enough to warrant tariffs, but that rose to 51 per cent by 2013.
And the 2014 forestry plan "can be expected to result in an even higher share of New Brunswick timber coming from Crown land in future years," it continued.
The document says logs from private woodlots now account "for as little as 12 per cent of the total softwood supply" in New Brunswick.
That share was "well within the range deemed problematic" that triggered tariffs on other provinces in previous softwood disputes, the filing says.
Compounding the problem is that the dominance of J.D. Irving Ltd. as the largest buyer of wood and the Crown lands as the largest seller of wood makes it hard to accurately measure a fair market price for wood, the U.S. industry argues.
The petition singled out New Brunswick for tariffs among the Atlantic provinces. It did not ask for tariffs on wood from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
Green Party Leader David Coon is blaming that on J.D. Irving Ltd., accusing the company of abandoning other Maritime sawmills and "going it alone" in the softwood case.
Irving sought a voluntary investigation of its own sawmill businesses
by the U.S., Coon said, a move that ended the united front once
advanced by the Maritime Lumber Bureau.
The bureau represented all sawmills in the region for decades and since 1983 repeatedly managed to persuade Washington to not impose tariffs on mills here.
Coon said in the legislature that New Brunswick's high dependence on wood from Crown lands had been obscured by region-wide numbers.
But when Irving "broke with the Maritime Lumber Bureau," it exposed New Brunswick's numbers to greater scrutiny by the U.S., Coon said.
Melanson didn't respond directly to Coon's allegations.
"We've got to be really careful," he said, warning that saying the wrong thing may make it harder for New Brunswick to get the U.S. decision reversed.
Irving said earlier this week it doesn't want to see other mills hit with a higher tariff because those mills often supply Irving mills with chips, bark and other residue products.
The company did not respond to a request for comment on Coon's accusations Thursday.
Donny Crabbe of H.J. Crabbe and Sons Ltd. in Bristol said Irving likely used a lot of the expertise it gained in a recent trade fight over paper exports to the U.S. to make its case on softwood.
"The Irvings had the opportunity to learn things the rest of us didn't have the chance to learn," he said.
Crabbe said he hopes Ottawa and the province will use the lower Irving tariff to convince Washington that other sawmills aren't unfairly subsidized either.
"It should bode well to prove that we are fair traders," he said.
Some of the filings in Washington show Irving was working with several companies, including Crabbe's, as part of a group called the New Brunswick Lumber Producers.
The group had a Washington law firm representing its interests. Irving also had its own law firm representing its interests alone.
A final ruling by the Trump administration on the tariffs is due later this year. In the meantime, the federal government says it will try to negotiate a new softwood deal.
While Gallant government officials insist nothing has changed in how New Brunswick sawmills buy their wood, a coalition of U.S. companies has argued that the Alward government's increase to Crown wood allocations crossed the line.
PC Leader Blaine Higgs was part of the Alward cabinet that brought in the new forestry plan in 2014. (Legislative Assembly)
PC Leader Blaine Higgs, a member of the cabinet that approved the 2014 forestry plan, wouldn't say this week if he regrets the forestry plan, which boosted harvesting on Crown land by 21 per cent.
"The less we talk about this politically and such, the better," he said. "I don't want to make a political issue out of it."
19.88% tariff for most mills
It's not clear if the U.S. Commerce Department agreed with the industry arguments, but this week its preliminary ruling put a 19.88 tariff to all New Brunswick sawmills selling wood into the U.S.
The only exception was J.D. Irving Ltd., which faces a three per cent tariff.
Trade Minister Roger Melanson said Irving's lower tariff shows that the PC plan "didn't help to position New Brunswick companies that export softwood lumber to the U.S."
Trade Minister Roger Melanson said the lower
tariff for J.D. Irving shows the 2014 forestry plan by the previous PC
government "didn't help" softwood exporters in New Brunswick.
The filing last Nov. 25 by an industry group called the Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade Investigations or Negotiations argues that has changed, and that the Alward plan is changing it even more.
It says Crown stumpage in New Brunswick was 41 per cent of all logs in 2004, not enough to warrant tariffs, but that rose to 51 per cent by 2013.
And the 2014 forestry plan "can be expected to result in an even higher share of New Brunswick timber coming from Crown land in future years," it continued.
Private logs dwindle to 12%
The document says logs from private woodlots now account "for as little as 12 per cent of the total softwood supply" in New Brunswick.
That share was "well within the range deemed problematic" that triggered tariffs on other provinces in previous softwood disputes, the filing says.
Compounding the problem is that the dominance of J.D. Irving Ltd. as the largest buyer of wood and the Crown lands as the largest seller of wood makes it hard to accurately measure a fair market price for wood, the U.S. industry argues.
The petition singled out New Brunswick for tariffs among the Atlantic provinces. It did not ask for tariffs on wood from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
Irving blamed by Coon
Green Party Leader David Coon is blaming that on J.D. Irving Ltd., accusing the company of abandoning other Maritime sawmills and "going it alone" in the softwood case.
Green Party Leader David Coon said when J.D.
Irving Ltd., broke away from the Maritime Lumber Bureau, it exposed New
Brunswick's number for Crown wood supply to greater scrutiny by the
United States. (CBC)
The bureau represented all sawmills in the region for decades and since 1983 repeatedly managed to persuade Washington to not impose tariffs on mills here.
Coon said in the legislature that New Brunswick's high dependence on wood from Crown lands had been obscured by region-wide numbers.
But when Irving "broke with the Maritime Lumber Bureau," it exposed New Brunswick's numbers to greater scrutiny by the U.S., Coon said.
Melanson didn't respond directly to Coon's allegations.
"We've got to be really careful," he said, warning that saying the wrong thing may make it harder for New Brunswick to get the U.S. decision reversed.
Irving said earlier this week it doesn't want to see other mills hit with a higher tariff because those mills often supply Irving mills with chips, bark and other residue products.
The company did not respond to a request for comment on Coon's accusations Thursday.
Irving gained expertise
Donny Crabbe of H.J. Crabbe and Sons Ltd. in Bristol said Irving likely used a lot of the expertise it gained in a recent trade fight over paper exports to the U.S. to make its case on softwood.
"The Irvings had the opportunity to learn things the rest of us didn't have the chance to learn," he said.
Crabbe said he hopes Ottawa and the province will use the lower Irving tariff to convince Washington that other sawmills aren't unfairly subsidized either.
"It should bode well to prove that we are fair traders," he said.
- Uncertain future: New tariff will hurt N.B. sawmills' bottom line
- U.S. imposes preliminary duties up to 24% on 'subsidized' Canadian softwood lumber
- New Crown forestry plan greeted with shock, dismay
- New forestry plan provides more Crown wood to industry
Some of the filings in Washington show Irving was working with several companies, including Crabbe's, as part of a group called the New Brunswick Lumber Producers.
The group had a Washington law firm representing its interests. Irving also had its own law firm representing its interests alone.
A final ruling by the Trump administration on the tariffs is due later this year. In the meantime, the federal government says it will try to negotiate a new softwood deal.
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