Quebec wants to meet with Ottawa over U.S.-Canada softwood lumber dispute

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Roughly 60,000 people work in Quebec’s forestry industry and access to the U.S. market is considered critical to supporting those jobs.

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Anglade said she wants the federal government to be proactive and put programs in place to support the industry.

Meanwhile, the looming trade dispute with its largest market for softwood lumber exports has British Columbia looking for new customers in China and India.

Anglade said she wants to meet with Freeland in order to ensure Quebec’s interests will be well represented during negotiations with the U.S.

Quebec has hired a former Canadian ambassador to the U.S., Raymond Chretien, to represent the province at the talks.

Chretien is meeting with U.S. officials next week and has said previously he expects very difficult negotiations.

The 2006 softwood lumber agreement expired a year ago but a one-year standstill period kicked in to allow an attempt at resolution.

An official in Freeland’s department said she has agreed in principle to a meeting with her Quebec counterpart on Dec. 8.

The Canadian Press