COMMON MENU BAR BEGINS | DEBUT DE LA BARRE DE MENU COMMUNE
TOGETHER FOR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
Canada and the United States share a common concern over the availability of affordable housing to meet demands both in urban and rural communities. Owning a home is one of the key elements at the heart of North-America's high quality of life. It is an important factor in forming strong, dynamic communities.
President George Bush declared the month of June as National Homeownership Month and introduced an agenda to expand opportunities in U.S. homeownership. In his address on June 15, President Bush stated: "We must begin to close this homeownership gap by dismantling the barriers that prevent minorities from owning a piece of the American dream." He announced budget initiatives to help 80,000 low income families per year overcome barriers to home ownership.
The 27 percent duty imposed in May on Canadian softwood lumber will substantially increase the cost of the average American home. Softwood lumber is necessary for the construction of house frames. The additional expense to home builders will be passed on to the consumer and this will result in rendering at least 300,000 families ineligible for mortgage financing. This is four times greater than the number of households that would benefit from the President's incentives for affordable housing.
TOGETHER FOR MORE TRADE AND JOBS
The spirit of cooperation between Canada and the U.S. has produced tremendous benefits to both nations. Together we have built a trading relationship that is unique in its scope and scale. It is the largest bilateral trade relationship in the world, and generates more than US$1 billion a day in two-way trade.
U.S. duties on softwood lumber undermine the credibility of the leadership role of the United States at a time when it is trying to negotiate new bilateral and multilateral trade liberalization agreements.
Home construction has been the backbone of the American recovery and home ownership the cornerstone of the American dream. Taxing Canadian softwood lumber undermines economic recovery. Higher costs means less construction, fewer jobs and a weaker economy.
U.S. duties on Canadian lumber will not only penalize the American consumer but also hurt the U.S. housing construction industry. There are 30 times as many American workers building homes as there are workers in the softwood lumber industry. Softwood lumber duties will hurt the construction industry disproportionately.
American Consumers for Affordable Homes (ACAH) has evaluated that millions more jobs in the U.S. depend on the availability of reasonably priced lumber than there are jobs in domestic lumber production. Home builders and their subcontractors provided more than 4.5 million payroll jobs last year.
TOGETHER FOR A MUTUALLY-BENEFICIAL SOLUTION
Canada is a fair trade partner. It is clear that this long-standing problem needs a negotiated, long-term, durable solution.
Canada is ready to negotiate a long-lasting solution, in the spirit of the strong partnership that we share and for the benefit of millions of North American workers and homeowners.
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