David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
I crossed paths with the Southern Yankee lawyer Wilkins in 2003 when he was the Speaker of the House in South Carolina years before he became an Ambassador up here and tried to have me arrested by the RCMP
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/02/higgss-softwood-lumber-pitch-falls-on.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/higgs-returns-from-washington-1.5032579
Higgs's softwood lumber pitch falls on indifferent ears in U.S.
Premier went to meeting of U.S. governors to gather support for easing tariffs
Softwood lumber was on Premier
Blaine Higgs's mind when he travelled to Washington for the National
Governors Association meeting over the weekend, but he found others had
little interest in talking about the issue.
"Softwood lumber wasn't something that was being discussed a lot," Higgs told reporters when he landed at the Fredericton airport on Monday after three days in the U.S. capital.
The winter meeting of the governors takes place with hundreds of guests, including leaders from business, non-profits and governments around the world.
Before HIggs left for the meeting, he said he would be willing to give way on the province's forestry policy to help ease some of the punishing tariffs on softwood lumber coming from New Brunswick.
New Brunswick was the only Atlantic province not exempt from softwood lumber tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
While softwood lumber tariffs were not high on the radar of most people at the Washington meeting, the New England governors were more receptive to the province's plight, Higgs said.
He singled out Janet Mills, the Democratic governor of Maine, who assumed office after last year's mid-term elections.
"She recognizes the sensitivities on both sides of the border," said Higgs.
He said the lumber industry in Maine and New Brunswick are heavily integrated and there's a lot of trade between them.
"We as Atlantic Canada, and the eastern U.S., you know kind of always had a market and a business here that needs to be protected."
Higgs said he felt the issue has now been raised but he wished Canadians at the Washington meetings had come up with a more national focus for the issue.
"I think B.C. has the large portion of the business, and so it's getting more of a focus and we're being drug into it," said Higgs.
In Washington, Higgs planned to meet with David Wilkins, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and now a lobbyist being paid $40,000 a month by the province to lobby the Trump administration on softwood lumber tariffs.
Higgs said he would decide after meeting with Wilkins whether the province would keep him on, but after returning didn't commit to Wilkins one way or the other.
"[Wilkins] was very helpful, he gave me good information," Higgs said.
"He offered obviously to continue his assistance in that regard. I said 'We'll talk more about that.'"
"Softwood lumber wasn't something that was being discussed a lot," Higgs told reporters when he landed at the Fredericton airport on Monday after three days in the U.S. capital.
The winter meeting of the governors takes place with hundreds of guests, including leaders from business, non-profits and governments around the world.
Before HIggs left for the meeting, he said he would be willing to give way on the province's forestry policy to help ease some of the punishing tariffs on softwood lumber coming from New Brunswick.
New Brunswick was the only Atlantic province not exempt from softwood lumber tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Support closer to home
While softwood lumber tariffs were not high on the radar of most people at the Washington meeting, the New England governors were more receptive to the province's plight, Higgs said.
He singled out Janet Mills, the Democratic governor of Maine, who assumed office after last year's mid-term elections.
"She recognizes the sensitivities on both sides of the border," said Higgs.
He said the lumber industry in Maine and New Brunswick are heavily integrated and there's a lot of trade between them.
"We as Atlantic Canada, and the eastern U.S., you know kind of always had a market and a business here that needs to be protected."
National focus needed
Higgs said he felt the issue has now been raised but he wished Canadians at the Washington meetings had come up with a more national focus for the issue.
"I think B.C. has the large portion of the business, and so it's getting more of a focus and we're being drug into it," said Higgs.
In Washington, Higgs planned to meet with David Wilkins, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and now a lobbyist being paid $40,000 a month by the province to lobby the Trump administration on softwood lumber tariffs.
Higgs said he would decide after meeting with Wilkins whether the province would keep him on, but after returning didn't commit to Wilkins one way or the other.
"[Wilkins] was very helpful, he gave me good information," Higgs said.
"He offered obviously to continue his assistance in that regard. I said 'We'll talk more about that.'"
With files from Michel Corriveau and Radio-Canada.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
Comments
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Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Surprise Surprise Surprise
cheryl wright
omg. 40k a month and we are
not making any headway on our tariffs etc? why are we paying for a
service that is not getting results???? does anyone else think this is
beyond the scope of reasonable??
Marc Martin
The Irvings sent him already ?
Lou Bell
@Marc Martin He was there fighting for the 50 + % who are paying over 20 % tariffs ! What did Gallant/ SANB do ????
Jim Johnston
The answer is to sell off the
forests to industry and let them pay for the management of it while
getting some land taxes. NB would be better off even we sold the land
for $5 an acre.
Marc Martin
@Jim Johnston
They already manage it. If they owned it we wouldn't have any wood left anywhere.
They already manage it. If they owned it we wouldn't have any wood left anywhere.
Buford Wilson
Blaine is a tireless advocate for the interests of New/Nouveau-Brunswick.
The effects are already being felt in the economy.
The effects are already being felt in the economy.
Marc Martin
@Buford Wilson
Bahhaha thanks for the good laugh..
Bahhaha thanks for the good laugh..
Marc Bourque
" $40,000 a month by the province" and not getting results! Me thinks he should get canned!
Norman Albert Snr
Higg's still working for the
man/family? When we start turning a profit for this government on
resources then he will be working for the people of NB
David Amos
@Norman Albert Snr YUP
Marc Martin
@Norman Albert Snr
Of course he does, its the second time in 2 week he travels for them...
Of course he does, its the second time in 2 week he travels for them...
Rosco holt
@Norman Albert Snr
Why is it a surprise?
Most knew he would, even before he was elected.
Why is it a surprise?
Most knew he would, even before he was elected.
Ray Bungay
I am all for that idea! Tax
payers would save a bundle in salaries, benifits, worker compensation
payments by letting the private sector take care of it all. Use the
money gained to help pay the debt down.
David Amos
@Ray Bungay Methinks you are commenting on the wrong article N'esy Pas?
Marc Martin
@David Amos
I think he is..
I think he is..
T Brown
$40,000 a month for the
former US ambassador to Canada. We wonder why this province is in the
financial mess it's in. In all honesty it's time for a major shake up in
government policy. First government need to get out of the buisness of
being in business. Sell NB Liquor and Cannabis NB. Privatization of
Motor Vehicle and sell NB Power. Government needs to be govement. Just
these areas alone would be enough to save billions. Government gets into
buisness and tax payers foot the bill of endless debt from such.
Fortis has no problem making money but NB Power is billions in debt.
Province with less than a million population and it owes 14.4 billion
that cost seven hundred million last year just to service. Wow what a
mess of a province.
David Amos
@T Brown Methinks Mr Higgs and many other folks should Google "David Wilkins David Amos" sometime N'esy Pas?
maude windsor
NB has fallen under another
tree because Higgs cannot undo all the poking at trump that justin
trudeau is and was and has doing! fact is NB when economically astute
always had resiprocity with the 13 colonies...now USA. NB needs to
become more compatible with USA softwood lumber business....leave
trudeau to his kindergarten.
Greg Quinn
@maude windsor - Alward's
timber supply deal was the catalyst that landed us in this situation
where we're cutting more crown wood just to line american coffers
through tariffs they justified because that deal made it too hard to
argue that NB forestry wasn't subsidized - it was a complete backfire.
Les Cooper
@maude windsor Higgs is trying. can't fix **** over night. We can't even figure language out in NB. No one takes NB serious lol
David Amos
@maude windsor Methinks Yankees don't care about Trudeau and most think New Brunswick is a town in New Jersey N'esy Pas?
daryl doucette
Time to start charging Mr.
Irving for our wood. Charge what the tariffs are. Money then stays here
in New Brunswick instead of going to USA.
David Amos
@daryl doucette Methinks its
kinda late for It appears to me that most of the Crown's woods have been
mowed down That is why the Irving Clan is chasing after the private
woods lots now N'esy Pas?
Ronald Parker
I wonder how that guy that NB is paying 40,000 per month doing on this file? Not good I guess.
David Amos
@Ronald Parker FYI I crossed
paths with that Yankee lawyer in 2003 when he was the Speaker of the
House in South Carolina years before he became an Ambassador up here and
tried to have me arrested by the RCMP
daryl doucette
@Ronald Parker it is amazing
the money the " connected" people make...$40,000 dollars a month? For
WHAT? Going to a few meetings and yackkin a bit, shuffling some
papers....no wonder we are so far in debt....the " Powers that Be" just
continue to milk us dry.....
Rosco holt
Simple, Higgs has to reverse the crtownland giveaway his party gave frorestry.
Content disabled.
David Amos
David Amos
@Rosco holt YUP
maude windsor
@Rosco holt crown land is a
historic way of managing forests in what is now NB...but what management
practices would still allow us to access forests, snowmobile trails,
camps (remember those beans!)....for private lands do not allow public
access.
Sean Onuaillain
@maude windsor
That is not the issue. The issue is that the Irvings and about two other major wood harvestors in NB were given unprecendented access to crown land by the Alward/Higgs argreement (long before Trudeau was elected PM). It is that agreeement that the U.S. says is an unfair subisidy to the lumber companies. And the one that is driving private wood lot owners out of business. They are harvesting wood that the citizens of the province own and giving us tenths of pennies on the dollar.
That is not the issue. The issue is that the Irvings and about two other major wood harvestors in NB were given unprecendented access to crown land by the Alward/Higgs argreement (long before Trudeau was elected PM). It is that agreeement that the U.S. says is an unfair subisidy to the lumber companies. And the one that is driving private wood lot owners out of business. They are harvesting wood that the citizens of the province own and giving us tenths of pennies on the dollar.
David Amos
@Rosco holt Methinks its strange that one YUP to you can get through but not two N'esy Pas?
Rosco holt
@maude windsor
Government has abandoned forest management and policing to companies.
Owning a property that has a river and seeing how disrespectful people can be (littering, cutting trees, destroying/ damaging property, stealing, poaching, etc...).
I don't blame private property owners for not allowing public access to their lands. Blame those who disrespect private property.
Government has abandoned forest management and policing to companies.
Owning a property that has a river and seeing how disrespectful people can be (littering, cutting trees, destroying/ damaging property, stealing, poaching, etc...).
I don't blame private property owners for not allowing public access to their lands. Blame those who disrespect private property.
Paul Bourgoin
I was just censored for telling the truth about the handling and management of our forests.
David Amos
@Paul Bourgoin Of Course
Harold Benson
@Paul Bourgoin Try using innuendos and insinuations. Sometimes they work better.
Matt Steele
There is very little chance
that the U.S. will give anything to Canada . The U.S. views the Canadian
Prime Minister , Justin Trudeau , as a weak ineffectual leader ; and do
not take him seriously . The Canadian oil , auto , and forestry
industries are in crisis....yet all Trudeau is focused on is spending
taxpayer cash , increasing the National debt , getting his Quebec
business buddies out of legal jams ; and more gun control for an already
heavily regulated sport . Oct. 2019 cannot come soon enough !!
Rosco holt
@Matt Steele
You think Scheer is better?
He'll get on his knee to kiss up to his idol Trump, like he and his Cons wanted to do with NAFTA.
You think Scheer is better?
He'll get on his knee to kiss up to his idol Trump, like he and his Cons wanted to do with NAFTA.
David Amos
@Rosco holt YUP
Donald Bowser
@Matt Steele the tariffs were
a result of Alward's decision to increase subsidies and give away the
last of crown forest. So this really has nothing to do with the Feds as
the province controls all issues related to natural resources. If we
want to discuss ineffectual - look at how feeble this effort was by the
Premier. He needed to show concrete action on reversing the bad
decisions that led to the tariffs.
David Amos
@Donald Bowser So says a political critic who does not respond to emails from candidates before and after elections N'esy Pas?
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