The impact of regulatory change on the international competitiveness of the Canadian softwood lumber industry

Abstract

The decade of the 1990s have seen the introduction of several regulatory changes in international markets that have had a dramatic impact on the competitiveness of the Canadian softwood lumber industry. These regulatory changes have occurred in virtually every major market to which Canadian softwood lumber manufacturers export, including Europe, the US, and Japan. The objective of this paper is to describe the regulatory changes that have been implemented in the major markets for Canadian softwood lumber and provide an objective discussion of the impact of these changes on the international competitiveness of Canadian softwood lumber. Key words: softwood lumber, non-tariff barriers, international trade, Softwood Lumber Agreement (SLA), pinewood nematode, regulatory change, international competitiveness