The U.S. lumber lobby says it now has no choice but to launch trade challenges against Canada now that a one-year standstill period has expired in the cross-border softwood lumber dispute a move that will lead to punitive duties on Canadian forestry exports to the United States . Oct. 12 marks one year since a nine-year-old truce in the perpetual Canada-U.S. softwood conflict ended . The Trudeau government and the Obama administration have failed to sign a successor pact despite months of negotiations . Preliminary duties can be slapped on Canadian softwood shipments to the U.S. six months after the lumber coalition files a complaint of unfair trade with the U.S. Department of Commerce and they can be retroactively applied for up to 90 days while the American government investigates the allegations . Under the last dispute , which ended in 2006 , the U.S. collected $5.3-billion from Canadian forestry firms . The Liberal government and the Obama administration , meanwhile , announced they will keep trying to negotiate a formal truce even though months and months of discussions have failed to yield a solution . While our engagement has yet to produce a new agreement , our governments will continue negotiations though the standstill period has expired , Canadian International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and United States Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a joint statement .