News Paper Pulp
U.S. International Trade Commission overturns Canadian newsprint duties

August 29, 2018 – The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has unanimously voted that Canada’s imports of uncoated groundwood paper, or newsprint, are not harming the U.S. industry. 

The ruling overrides the anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed by the U.S. Commerce Department earlier this year and means that all the affected Canadian producers will have their duties refunded to them.

The decision was backed by a number of U.S. newspapers who had seen higher costs since the duties came into effect. The case started with a complaint from Washington-based North Pacific Paper Co. that Canada’s newsprint imports were negatively affecting U.S. paper producers.

Along with Resolute Forest Products, Kruger and others, B.C.’s Catalyst Paper was one of the Canadian companies hit with the duties over the past eight months.

B.C. Premier John Horgan and Bruce Ralston, minister of jobs, trade and technology, said, “Today’s ruling means that Catalyst will no longer have to pay these debilitating, unfair duties. We’re very pleased with the outcome and we’re glad the ITC has made the right decision based on the evidence before it. This is good news for people who work in the newsprint industry.

“The governments of B.C. and Canada demonstrated clearly during the investigation that they had not been subsidizing Catalyst’s operations, and we’re satisfied by today’s decision by the ITC.”