Lumber War: Trump Targets Canadian Imports

The US President has decided to look into whether foreign lumber is being sold too cheaply in the US. This could lead to new taxes or limits on imports. Canada is the main target, as it sends a lot of lumber to the US. The US has already put taxes on Canadian lumber, but this new move could make things even tougher. The lumber industry is a big deal for Canada. In 2022, it added about 1. 2% to Canada's economy. Most of Canada's lumber goes to the US. British Columbia, a province in Canada, has been fighting US taxes on lumber for years. The fight is about how Canada gets its wood. Canada gets wood from land owned by the government, which makes it cheaper. US companies have to buy land, making their costs higher. Trump has been talking about this issue since he became president.The US has already put taxes on steel, aluminium, and copper imports. Now, lumber is on the list. This could mean more taxes on Canadian lumber. The US says this is about keeping jobs in America, but others say it hurts both countries. Some people in Canada say new taxes will hurt workers on both sides of the border. They also say it will make housing more expensive in the US. Others in the US say Canada's cheaper wood is unfair and hurts American jobs. The US has been having this fight with Canada for a long time. In 2016, the US lumber industry asked the government to do something about Canadian lumber. They said Canada was selling lumber too cheaply. The US has been putting taxes on things it imports for a while now. This is part of a bigger fight with countries like China and Mexico. The US says it's about keeping jobs in America, but others say it's just making things more expensive.