How the Softwood Deal Makes Sense

The Tyee published a piece today that is essentially a partial transcription of an appearance by Elliot Feldman before the Standing Committee on International Trade in Ottawa.

Feldman drew the committee's attention to a little known and even more poorly understood element of the Emerson "deal".

Namely that of the $1 billion of collected duties not being returned to Canadian lumber producers, about $450 million will be going into an escrow fund to be directed out of the White House with no apparent Congressional oversight.

Think Progress has it here, Daily Kos has it here.

On the face of it appears to at least raise some questions if not set off alarm bells this late in a US election year.

But it does explain why getting this deal through Parliament quickly is so important to Harper.

If the money is available in time and ends up being used by Rove and Co. to ensure the Republicans retain Congress it proves Stevie's, and his government's loyalty, to the movement once and for all.

That it's a slap in the face to the citizens of Canada who may be on the hook for a sizeable chunk of change if not enough Canadian lumber producers have signed on to the deal is of no consequence.