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U.S. softwood offer smacks of 'extortion' Ken Barker America's real agenda in regards to a long-term settlement of the softwood lumber dispute is now clear. U.S. Dept. of Commerce undersecretary Grant Aldonas said Canada's provinces must change forest policies, including dropping restrictions on log exports from B.C., or face paying continued duties of 27 per cent. B.C.'s Forest Act states clearly that logs are not to be exported unless their numbers are in excess of our domestic needs. This is good public policy. We need the jobs created from the processing of our highly valued timber which is 94 per cent publicly owned. For our government to entertain the idea of open-market pricing of timber, which forces our domestic producers to bid against the American dollar for the right to cut our own timber, is ludicrous. The criteria being laid out by the U.S. to obtain a long term-agreement in lumber trade amounts to nothing short of extortion of public property. For our forest minister to agree with such an arrangement is irresponsible and a miscarriage of public trust, both for present and future generations of British Columbians. Ken Barker, Nanaimo
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