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FINALLY a softwood lumber deal!
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| Jayx1 |
So Harper has done in 4 months what the Liberals couldnt do in 4 years. Just shows what a bit of diplomacy can accomplish. The conservatives arent perfect by any means but it's such a relief to have a different approach to things now.
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OTTAWA (CP) - The Bush administration believes the softwood lumber deal will blossom into a new era in Canada-U.S. relations.
U.S. ambassador David Wilkins says the accord proves the axiom that good personal chemistry between the U.S. president and the prime minister translates into results for both countries.
Wilkins' address to a conference looking at the Canada-U.S. relationship represents a far cry from his last nationally televised speech on the Ottawa-Washington partnership.
The U.S. ambassador warned Paul Martin during the winter election campaign that the former prime minister's jabs at the United States were putting the relationship on a dangerous slippery slope.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the seven-year softwood deal Thursday, saying it will return $4 billion of duties to Canadian producers. |
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| itikia |
| Not surprised at all. It's all about building those business relationships! |
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| nusty |
yeah my gf in Los Angeles just emailed me the story an hour ago... good work. well that one less negative point against Harper in my books. He still has some other areas to work on but so far I like what I see despite the fact that I was affraid of having him in power a few months back. So far I'm eating my own words, pleasently at that. :)
in other news the state of Louisiana just brought forth a court initiative to ban ALL abortions regardless of circumstances! (this includes rape, incest and health related complications due to pregnancy!) Looks like they might actually get away with this too!:eek: |
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| Jem_hadar |
| quote: | Originally posted by nusty
in other news the state of Louisiana just brought forth a court initiative to ban ALL abortions regardless of circumstances! (this includes rape, incest and health related complications due to pregnancy!) Looks like they might actually get away with this too!:eek: |
Are you sure about the "related complications" department.
I am sure that I read the ONLY reason an abortion woudl be allowed was if it actually endangered the life of the mother.
Im pretty sure of this, but would need to search around to confirm.
Jem |
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| nusty |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jem_hadar
Are you sure about the "related complications" department.
I am sure that I read the ONLY reason an abortion woudl be allowed was if it actually endangered the life of the mother.
Im pretty sure of this, but would need to search around to confirm.
Jem |
I'll double check yesterdays paper here, I'm doubting it myself now, that just seems to go too far even for Lousiana. This state is so messed up sometimes. I mean it's the one place where there is still confusion over not knowing if you can legally drink and drive. (I'm not sure about this year, but I know in the recent past you could have a alcoholic beverage in your hand as long as it had a lid on it... you could put a straw through the lid, but it had to have a lid on it) Drive through Daquiri stands are almost as big as other fast food places.
anyway, until we find more info on the abortion stuff I'll stop hijacking this thread and allow it go back to the soft wood lumber issue. :) |
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| TO guy |
| Is this really a good thing though Jay? Is giving the US a billion dollars that belong to us the solution? Maybe the Liberals didn't really want to bend over as easily as Harper did, and that's why they wouldn't make that deal four years ago. |
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| MarkT |
^^^ exactly! the rationale seems to be that "any deal is better than no deal" and that's simply not true.
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
So Harper has done in 4 months what the Liberals couldnt do in 4 years. Just shows what a bit of diplomacy can accomplish. The conservatives arent perfect by any means but it's such a relief to have a different approach to things now. |
:rolleyes: x 100
if by "diplomacy" you mean "give up"...sure. Anyone can just concede to the other side...because that's exactly what Harper's gov't appears to have done.
We didn't even get back all of the money that was ILLEGALY taken by the U.S....people think we should be celebrating getting a PORTION of OUR OWN MONEY back???
Concensus seems to be that the deal also heavily favours BC producers (and Quebec, to a lesser extent), while Ontario has had it's production capped at levels below the status quo, which will no doubt eventually mean lost jobs here.
Thanks for standing up for all of Canada Mr. Harper...keep up the great work :rolleyes: |
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| AwakenedAddict |
| quote: | Originally posted by TO guy
Is this really a good thing though Jay? Is giving the US a billion dollars that belong to us the solution? Maybe the Liberals didn't really want to bend over as easily as Harper did, and that's why they wouldn't make that deal four years ago. |
Not only that! Canadian softwood exports to the United States will be capped at 34% of the total US market. Hardly sounds like free trade to me.
The imperfections in the treaty notwithstanding, I'm glad this got done. |
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| AwakenedAddict |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
Concensus seems to be that the deal also heavily favours BC producers (and Quebec, to a lesser extent), while Ontario has had it's production capped at levels below the status quo, which will no doubt eventually mean lost jobs here. |
Source? |
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| psychosomatica |
| Settled by a liberal defector. I'm not pro-liberal or anything. I just wanted everyone to know. |
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| Orko |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
So Harper has done in 4 months what the Liberals couldnt do in 4 years. Just shows what a bit of diplomacy can accomplish. The conservatives arent perfect by any means but it's such a relief to have a different approach to things now. |
How did I know you would be behind this decision. Waiting longer would not have mattered, as long as Canadians got what they deserved.
I haven't read the full details as of yet, so I will with hold judgement to see if this is good for Canada or not. Something just tells me, we could have gotten a better deal. |
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| MarkT |
| quote: | Originally posted by AwakenedAddict
Source? |
my comment was based upon the original framework...apparently there are now amendments that have appeased McGuinty and Ontario producers (the cap was removed, it seems)
You'll notice though that few people are calling it a "good" deal...everyone who's now rallying around it is using terms like "reasonable" and "the best we can expect" (that latter remark coming from Gordon Ritchie, who worked on the original agreement in 1987, acc. to a Toronto Star article.
IMHO, this entire process is yet another example of the U.S. doing as it pleases. We HAVE a trade agreement...we won countless BINDING decisions from trade panels...yet we're not even getting our money back and having to renegotiate a trade deal that already exists.
Who's to say that the U.S. is even going to play fair under this new agreement?!? They didn't under the last one... |
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