BRITISH
COLUMBIA
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esa
May 1, 2018
‘The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON KIA 0A6
Dear Prime Minister:
1 am writing to inform you of a meeting | hosted on April 19" in Victoria about the impacts of
duties imposed by the United States on uncoated groundwood paper. Participants included
Ministers, MLAs, Mayors, labour leaders and executives from Catalyst Paper.
I know your government shares my significant concerns about the impact these duties are having
on the affected communities and families. The massive tariffs imposed by U.S. authorities at the
behest of a single Washington State company put the jobs of 1,600 British Columbians working
al three Catalyst pulp mills at risk. While I appreciate the magnitude of other U.S. actions may
seem more significant ~ steel, aluminum and softwood lumber sanctions stand out — the future of
three coastal communities is at stake in this matter, On behalf of all those who participated in
the round table, I urge you to keep this matter front and centre in trade discussions with the
United States
In the meeting on April 19", I expressed British Columbia’s support and appreciation for the
approach Canada is taking to make our case effectively on this file. We understand that seeking
American allies who can speak on our behalf is the best approach to resolve this issue. To that
end, I have raised these unfair duties in several fora, including directly with the Governor of
Washington on two occasions and with the Governor of Oregon. Furthermore, my representative
to the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, Parliamentary Secretary Rick Glumac, has worked
with partners in that cross border organization (which includes the states of Alaska, Washington,
Oregon, Idaho and Montana) to issue a joint statement in opposition to the tarfis.
also expressed my appreciation for Ambassador MacNaughton’s efforts and those of other
senior officials from the Government of Canada in providing two briefings for Ministers and
MLAs from all parties in our Legislative Assembly. ‘The willingness of senior officials to take
the time to brief provincial representatives symbolized the collaborative approach your
government is taking to this file.
Office of the Mailing Adds: Location: vba
Premicr PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt Parliament Buildings worm gorbeca
Victoria BC VW 9EI Victoria2
I heard two themes at the meeting that you may wish to take into consideration.
First, the participants appreciate that the Softwood Lumber Action Plan will be made available to
parties impacted by this trade action, but expressed some confusion about how to access the
programs and concer that the nature of the programs do not offer support in time to shield
against the impacts of the tariffs. It would be helpful if federal officials could reach out again to
Catalyst, Unifor, and the communities of Crofton, Port Alberni and Powell River to discuss the
Softwood Lumber Action Plan and other federal support that may be available.
Second, as I mentioned above, all participants noted that these tariffs could have significant,
imminent impacts on communities and families, and as such request that the federal government
keep treating this as a top priority in Canada’s U.S. advocacy agenda,
Recognizing the importance and urgency of this issue, I would appreciate your assistance in
arranging a discussion between Minister Freeland and B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Trade and
Technology, Bruce Ralston, to follow-up.
Thank you again for your outstanding work and support on this critical issue.
Sincerely,
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John Horgan
Premier
pe: Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Honourable Bruce Ralston, Minister of Jobs, Trade and Technology
Honourable Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations
and Rural Development
Honourable Scott Fraser, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
Adam Olsen, MLA Saanich North and the Islands
Sonia Furstenau, MLA Cowichan Valley
John Rustad, MLA Nechako Lakes
Doug Routley, MLA Nanaimo-North Cowichan
Nicholas Simons, MLA Powell River-Sunshine Coast
David Formosa, Mayor, City of Powell River
Mike Rutan, Mayor, City of Port Alberni
Maeve Maguire, Councillor, Municipality of North Cowichan
Scott Doherty, Chief of Staff to Unifor President
Jim Dixon, Unifor National Representative
‘Ned Dwyer, CEO Catalyst Paper