Emerson's Skewed Reality

Trade Minister David Emerson spoke of the "tangible benefits" of the Softwood Lumber Agreement as he doled out a portion of the fees collected to six of the Provinces. Emerson's perception of a benefit must be as skewed and distorted as his perception of democracy, which leaves one wondering what the man is doing in Cabinet instead of in psychiatric care.
Over 50 sawmills have closed and 6,500 workers have lost their jobs in 2007 due to a combination of the high dollar, low demand, and the softwood lumber duties. The forest sector is reeling in one of it's lowest points in modern history.
Emerson, elected as a Liberal in a Vancouver riding, crossed the floor to the Conservatives before Parliament sat, a move unprecedented in Canadian Parliamentary history. Only 17% of the voters in his riding voted Conservative, and Emerson was quoted saying that he left the Liberals as he could not accept their near deal on softwood as it contained a duty, which he suddenly supported and rammed through as a Conservative.
The agreement gives the US lumber industry incredible veto power over how the money the duty collects is spent, and much of it is being used for retraining workers to leave the industry.
It is my opinion that any supposed 'unfair trade advantages', (a claim repeatedly lost by the Americans during the original dispute) have been totally negated by the rise in the Canadian dollar and are therefore invalid. Tear up the Agreement unilaterally and wait for the US to respond. Use the money collected to fund any challenges, to advertise direct to the American public the fact this trade dispute is denying them low cost building supplies and earn some respect from the US Gov't by standing up to them. Americans respect strength far more than they respect the brown-nosing lap dog approach taken by Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.
--- full article from the Sun