WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is taking criticism for its announcement this week that it will appeal the WTO’s latest ruling on the softwood lumber dispute, even as it has worked to delegitimize the agency’s appeals body. Currently, the Appellate Body lacks a quorum of judges, as the U.S. has vetoed the appointment of replacements for retiring incumbents in protest of what it sees as the body’s overreach.
The Canadian government has hit back at the apparent contradiction in the U.S. seeking recourse to a body it decries as unfair. “The United States’ behaviour significantly reduces the security and predictability that we collectively value in international trade.” The appeal will mean an indefinite delay in implementing the remedies which the WTO found Canada is owed to make up for improper countervailing duties.
