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For Immediate Release
Canadian Taxpayers Fund Mis-Information Campaign for Canadian Lumber Barons
WASHINGTON -- Canadian taxpayers are unwittingly paying for a new US$13 million public relations campaign on behalf of Canadian timber barons targeting US consumers. The "U.S.-Canada Partnership for Growth" was launched yesterday targeting the 27% duties levied by the U.S. on imported Canadian timber.
"This taxpayer-funded public relations campaign merely underlines how Canada subsidizes its lumber barons," said Joe Scott of the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance. "If the Canadian government spent half as much effort on reforming its out-dated forest policies as they do on contracting lawyers and public relations firms, then this dispute would have been over long ago."
The public relations campaign appeals to the general goodwill generated by U.S.-Canada trade, claims that the duty will raise lumber prices (lumber prices are actually at their lowest level in years), and claims that Canada has a good environmental record on forestry.
Regarding claims about forest management, Defenders of Wildlife, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Northwest Ecosystem Alliance point out that:
- BC government data shows that BC is over-cutting its forests by 20%, and BC recently gutted its Forest Practices Code, removing standards and putting logging corporations in charge of monitoring themselves
- Some Alberta forest companies believe they are running out of timber due to mismanagement of Alberta's forests
- Ontario is considering allowing unlimited-sized clearcuts, with clearcuts already allowed to far exceed 500 acres (the equivalent of more than 500 football fields)
- Quebec has not delivered on its promises to create adequate protected areas
- Across Canada, the Federal Canadian Fisheries Act is not enforced to provide adequate buffers for forest streams during logging operations
"When will Canada finally put substance over spin?" said Bill Snape of Defenders of Wildlife. "We've seen the same tired lines out of the Canadian government for two years now when it could have been reforming its timber industry and solving this dispute."
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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading non-profit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 440,000 members and supporters Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on endangered species issues. To stay current on hot topics in wildlife conservation, please visit www.defenders.org
