VICTORIA — Premier David Eby says it is “completely absurd” that softwood lumber exports from British Columbia to the United States face higher duties than the same product from Russia.
Eby says the softwood lumber industry is “under direct attack” after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed an additional tariff of 10 per cent on imported softwood lumber starting Oct. 14.
This new levy means that Canadian softwood lumber entering the United States will see total import taxes exceeding 45 per cent, while Russia is exempt from U.S. reciprocal tariffs, although it is still subject to various western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the United States must decide whether it wants to do business with British Columbia or with Russia, whose leader Vladimir Putin has been courted by Trump with promises of various resource deals.
Eby and Parmar made the statements while announcing the construction of a new high school in Langford, B.C.
The United States announced the latest tariffs under its Trade Expansion Act, allowing the imposition of tariffs on the basis of national security, language which Parmar says is “ludicrous.”
Eby says the provincial government is working with the federal government to distribute $1.2 billion in financial assistance for Canadian lumber producers first announced in August, while advocating for a resolution of the softwood lumber dispute as part of a broader trade agreement with the United States.
Parmar says government is also working to diversify export markets to Asia, including India, Japan and South Korea.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
