Guilty by association

Gordon Campbell appears to be auditioning for a regular role as PMS Shill #1: first by inexplicably demanding that the federal government cut taxes and call it a fix to equalization, and now by claiming that tiny changes to the softwood lumber capitulation somehow make the deal worth supporting:

Campbell said the latest deal includes new language on:
- The B.C. market-based timber pricing system.
- Changes to the deal's technical language.
- A six-month termination clause after the agreement in force 18 months, up from the previous three months.
- New conditions if the seven-year agreement is not renewed or if the Americans bail out before it expires.
- A commitment to review the tax status of timber from privately owned lands.
- A promise for a binational panel to review the so-called running rules covering the agreement's day-to-day operations, which critics say handcuff Canadian exporters.

The latter two points appear to deal with Canada's largest substantive problems with the specific terms of the deal (leaving aside for the moment the question of why Canada wants to negotiate away any of its consistent legal victories). But the changes suggest only that our grave concerns will now be "addressed" through non-binding future commitments to review just how badly Canada gets shafted in the deal. (And we should all know just how effective similar sidelights to trade agreements have been to date.)

Meanwhile, the rest of the points appear to be nothing but tinkering around the edges: making the deal as a whole enforceable for 24 months rather than 21, a similarly slight increase in the deterrents against the U.S. terminating the deal (when the U.S. surely recognizes that it can instead simply ignore its obligations in any event), and including an additional acknowledgement of B.C.'s ability to set policy which is more than counterbalanced by the policy limitations implied by the rest of the deal.

And of course the changes do nothing to address the underlying question of why Canada would want to voluntarily hand over half a billion dollars to which CFLI has no legal entitlement in order to secure the return of part of the money which the U.S. is wrongly withholding.

Based on a combination of empty promises and insignificant changes, Campbell seems happy to forfeit his government's future ability to oversee the B.C. forestry industry. But hopefully the other provinces and producers who have opposed the softwood deal to date will recognize that Canada deserves better...and B.C. voters will reward Campbell for his ridiculous serious of recent stances by electing a government which isn't looking to undermine the province's ability to act at every turn.

Update: In fairness, it is tough to blame Campbell for wanting to turn attention toward the federal government in order to deflect it from the effects of his own policies.