WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The government of British Columbia has announced plans to institute a “stumpage deferral program that keeps the lights on” for Canada’s softwood lumber producers, who continue to maintain massive excess capacity that has been devastating for U.S. softwood lumber companies and workers. British Columbia’s latest subsidy program will effectively inject between USD 124 million to USD 242 million of liquidity into the coffers of British Columbian sawmills over the next 11 months. This latest government support follows nearly a decade of repeated findings by the U.S. Department of Commerce that these producers engage in harmful dumping practices backed by Canada’s unrelenting subsidy schemes.
“This round of subsidies announced by the Government of British Columbia represents not only Canada’s latest attack on President Trump’s trade law enforcement policies, but also U.S. lumber companies, U.S. forestry workers, and the stability of the U.S. lumber supply needed to build American homes,” stated Steve Swanson, CEO of Swanson Group and Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition.
“The vast majority of the lumber used to build American homes is produced right here at home in the United States. With the right policies, the United States could become fully self-sufficient in supplying the lumber needed to build U.S. homes. Canada’s relentless unfair trade practices, driven by its massive excess lumber capacity, is putting U.S. lumber producers and U.S. lumber supply chains at risk,” stated Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition.
“Strong enforcement of the U.S. trade laws coupled with additional measures implemented by the Trump Administration remains essential to preventing further harm to U.S. lumber producers and workers, and it is helping to realize the full growth potential of the domestic lumber industry,” added van Heyningen.
“Canada is not entitled to the U.S. market, especially when it engages in unfair trade practices and maintains its disruptive levels of excess lumber capacity that it then dumps into the U.S. market,” explained van Heyningen, adding that “political attacks on the President’s trade policies backed by Canada First organizations in the United States will not help address the true causes of the housing affordability problem, such as the cost of land, regulatory costs, labor costs, and homebuilder profitability rates.”
U.S. lumber community voices on how U.S. mills can compete with anyone, but not the Canadian government.
About the U.S. Lumber Coalition
Video: Building American Dreams
The U.S. Lumber Coalition is an alliance of large and small softwood lumber producers from around the country, joined by their employees and woodland owners, working to address Canada’s unfair lumber trade practices. Our goal is to serve as the voice of the American lumber community and effectively address Canada’s unfair softwood lumber trade practices. The Coalition supports the full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws to allow the U.S. industry to invest and grow to its natural size without being impaired by unfairly traded imports. Continued full enforcement of the U.S. trade laws will strengthen domestic supply lines by maximizing long-term domestic production and lumber availability produced by U.S. workers to build U.S. homes. For more information, please visit the Coalition’s website at www.uslumbercoalition.org.
CONTACT: Zoltan van Heyningen
zoltan@uslumbercoalition.org | 202-805-9133
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-lumber-coalition-canada-escalates-unfair-trade-practices-with-new-subsidies-risking-further-disruption-to-us-lumber-production-and-supply-chain-302696198.html
SOURCE The U.S. Lumber Coalition
