Thousands of jobs are at stake in the $20-billion Canadian industry that supports 370,000 jobs, primarily in B.C. “The United States and Canada have made important progress in our negotiations, but significant differences remain,” they said in a joint statement. “President Obama has no incentive to sign a new softwood deal during his last days in office — he’d gain little but the ire of U.S. producers,” said Naomi Christensen of the Canada West Foundation. but also in Quebec and Ontario, Canada’s second- and third-largest exporters, government and industry officials have recently warned. OTTAWA — A settlement remains elusive but Canada and the U.S. have edged closer to a job-saving settlement on the softwood lumber dispute, President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said here Wednesday.

Source: National Post June 30, 2016 02:37 UTC