Raymond Chretien urges settling of softwood lumber issue before any NAFTA talks
Quebec’s representative in the softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the United States says that dossier needs to be settled before talks begin on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Raymond Chretien, Canada’s former ambassador to the U.S., says it would be difficult to have two sets of delicate negotiations going on simultaneously.
He called softwood lumber an “explosive” issue that is “too big, too complex and too emotional” to overlap with NAFTA talks.
“We have to settle softwood before the NAFTA discussions begin,” he said. “The Americans aren’t ready, so we’re waiting for them. It’s up to them to get their house in order.”