Building allies: U.S. consumers, homebuilders to suffer from tariffs, forestry association officials say.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: Forestry: Special Report - Brief Article

Canada's forest products industry is launching a $17-million advertising and communications blitz in the U.S. this summer aimed at building support for Canadian lumber producers among American home builders, politicians and consumers.

With money obtained from Minister of International Trade Pierre Pettigrew, the Ottawa-based Forest Products Association of Canada is looking to partner with some American allies to exert pressure on the Bush administration to return to the free trade in lumber that existed between the two countries before last year's expiration of the softwood lumber agreement.

"There is a desire to express to Americans the damage that the softwood lumber duties are doing," says Ruth Thorkelson, vice-president of government relations with the Forest Products Association of Canada, in an attempt to persuade the Americans to return to the negotiating table.

The tone of the campaign, the audience, the industry markets and form of media has yet to be determined, she says, but her association's consensus is that the message should be a "relatively aggressive" one.

"The industry is thinking about focusing on American interests that have been hurt by the softwood lumber duties...which means consumer advocates and proponents of affordable housing, home builders and construction industries."

Canadian wood product occupies 35 per cent of the total lumber used in the U.S. construction and homebuilding market.

They are now paying 27.2 per cent duties on about $10 billion a year worth of American-bound shipments after the U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in early May that imports from Canada pose a threat to the U.S. lumber industry.

Rather than directing their campaign at the White House, Thorkelson says the intent is to deliver the message through "intermediaries," namely U.S. elected officials in constituencies hurt by softwood lumber duties, and have them carry their complaints upwards to Washington.

"We have one objective and that is to be effective. If there is some desire for some name-calling and mud-slinging that's probably better suited for therapy than effectiveness," she says. "But a more hard-nosed approach has not been ruled out, depending on the wishes of the forest products coalition.

"We hope to test something in the field this summer."

Among those U.S. supporters of the Canadian industry is American Consumers for Affordable Homes.

"Home building has driven our economy for the last few years and anytime you invest...