B.C. forest minister talks softwood lumber duties with California

B.C. Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar met with California state officials Friday to discuss duties and the threat of tariffs on B.C. softwood lumber.

Parmar says the U.S. has imposed duties on softwood lumber imports from Canada for years, but he’s apprehensive that costs may spike in the near future.

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce raised the combined duty rate — which applies to most softwood exports — from 8.05 per cent to 14.54 per cent. Parmar says that recent leap is important to keep in mind in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on all imports of Canadian goods.

“We will find out how much that duty is increased. We are predicting with a ‘Trump Tariff’ and increased duties, we could be dealing with a 50 to 55 per cent tariff and duty on softwood lumber, leaving British Columbia,” said Parmar, speaking outside the State Capitol building in Sacramento.

Parmar says he’s working to strengthen B.C.’s relatonship with U.S. states recently hit by natural disasters to assist in the rebuilds.

He and Dan Dunmoyer, the CEO of the California Building Industry Association, released a statement Friday about the strength of the province-state trade relation and dependency.

“There’s no doubt that our American partners need B.C.’s quality softwood products, and any tariff will simply increase the costs to build much-needed housing,” the statement explained.

“This is particularly true following the recent fires in Los Angeles. More than 16,000 homes and buildings were lost, an almost unimaginable tragedy. There are now predictions that housing and rental units will now become even more unaffordable.”

The statement says “unjustified” tariffs will only make recovery more expensive and more drawn out.

“Rebuilding is only possible using B.C. wood,” it claimed.

Parmar says the California Building Industry Association isn’t the only organization sharing the distaste for the tariffs.

“What I’ve seen here, and I’m happy to report back to all British Columbians and Canadians, is Americans that I’ve talked to think the president’s comments are silly. They’re embarrassed by them and they want to ensure that we have a strong working relationship well into the future.”