The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) recently met with Ambassador Raymond Chrétien and a government delegation from Quebec in Washington, D.C., to discuss softwood lumber negotiations. Ambassador Chrétien served as the Canadian ambassador to the United States from 1994 to 2000 and is now Quebec’s chief negotiator on softwood lumber.
“NLBMDA hosted a productive meeting this week with Ambassador Chrétien to discuss the status of softwood lumber negotiations between the U.S. and Canada,” NLBMDA president and CEO Jonathan Paine said in a statement emailed out to NLBMDA members. “As supply chain disruptions and affordable housing challenges continue to persist, NLBMDA reiterated its support for a long-term softwood lumber agreement that brings stability to the pricing and availability of softwood lumber.”
Paine said the NLBMDA “remains committed” to working with government officials and stakeholders from the U.S. and Canada to reach “a fair agreement that will help resolve the ongoing supply chain challenges impacting LBM dealers and residential construction.”
Addressing lumber price volatility and continued supply chain disruptions have been top legislative issues for the NLBMDA over the past two years, particularly as lumber prices reached record-high levels during the summer of 2021. Both associations previously suggested in meetings with and letters submitted to the Biden administration that price volatility and supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks would likely be compounded should the U.S. be unable to reach a new softwood lumber agreement.
