A trade deal with the U.S. could include lumber quotas, Carney says

Prime Minister Mark Carney says any future trade deal with the United States could include “some element of managed trade,” including quotas, on softwood lumber exports.

Carney’s comments come after B.C. Premier David Eby told Bloomberg News that the federal government has been speaking with the provinces about quotas to resolve the softwood lumber dispute.

The prime minister says he’s been in close contact with Eby about the softwood file, adding that resolving the conflict is a “top priority” as the United States prepares to double various duties to 34.45 per cent.

Canada and the United States have been without a softwood lumber agreement since 2015, and Eby has previously said that resolving the dispute could “build momentum” for a larger, more comprehensive trade deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threat is to impose 35 per cent tariffs by Aug. 1 on Canadian goods currently not compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Carney says he agrees with Eby’s idea of resolving the softwood lumber dispute as part of a larger trade deal, but notes that both issues are unfolding along different times lines.