Top Canadian Official Tells NAHB Canada Seeks New Lumber Trade Deal
Mary Ng, Canada’s top trade official, expressed a strong willingness and desire to engage in negotiations with the United States on a new softwood lumber trade agreement during a video conference meeting yesterday with NAHB CEO Jerry Howard and senior staff.
The Canadian trade minister met with her U.S. counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, on July 6 and raised the issue of U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber and the importance of keeping interconnected supply chains open.
The United States is currently imposing 9% tariffs on Canadian lumber shipments into the country and a preliminary decision by the U.S. Commerce Department could result in the tariffs doubling to 18.32% by this fall. NAHB has been urging the Biden administration to move quickly to resume trade talks and has always opposed tariffs on Canadian lumber that exacerbate price volatility and raise housing costs.
Howard testified before Congress on July 14 and said: “Regarding the current lumber crisis, the U.S. must immediately engage with Canada to adopt a new softwood lumber agreement and stop the imposition of harmful tariffs on Canadian lumber.”
NAHB’s meeting with Minister Ng was a positive step forward and we will continue to urge the administration to return to the negotiating table with Canada and hammer out a new softwood lumber trade agreement that will end tariffs and help restore price stability to the lumber market.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 21, 2025
Santa Fe Students Build ‘Tiny’ Homes to Test Energy Efficiency CodesTo benefit the community and provide students hands-on construction experience, the Santa Fe Area Home Builders Association recently completed the Northern New Mexico Ice Box Challenge.
Aug 21, 2025
New and Existing Homes Remain Largely Unaffordable in Second QuarterWhile new homes remain largely unaffordable, builder efforts to improve housing affordability paid dividends in the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the NAHB/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI). The CHI results from the second quarter of 2025 show that a family earning the nation’s median income of $104,200 needed 36% of its income to cover the mortgage payment on a median-priced new home. Low-income families, defined as those earning only 50% of median income, would have to spend 71% of their earnings to pay for the same new home.
Latest Economic News
Aug 21, 2025
Existing Home Sales Rise in JulyExisting home sales rebounded in July as mortgage rates retreated from the recent peak and home price growth slowed, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Aug 21, 2025
New and Existing Homes Remain Largely Unaffordable in Second QuarterWhile new homes remain largely unaffordable, builder efforts to improve housing affordability paid dividends in the second quarter of 2025, according to the latest data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index (CHI).
Aug 20, 2025
Retreat for Single-Family Built-for-Rent HousingSingle-family built-for-rent construction fell back in the second quarter, as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity.