International Trade committee  No.

International Trade committee  I've checked with my colleague. As you recall, Mr. Cardin, you're quite correct in that the agreement envisages further negotiations to create further exemptions. First of all, the work has to establish the criteria to review possible exemptions. The working group that's been envisaged to work on it is tasked with reporting back within 18 months of its formulation as to possible further exemptions.

International Trade committee  That's right. If a CVD or an AD duty was imposed on October 12, that was an error and we account that to the confusion at some of the border points.

International Trade committee  That's right. So what I'm saying, in response to your first question about what is the last day that the U.S. can legally collect the duties, the AD and CVD duties, is that it's October 11.

International Trade committee  What you have identified quite correctly is that not until the EDC has completed such things as the credit checks with respect to whether there are liens on the company, which would affect their participation in the process, not until those elements are completed can you say that all the documentation has been finalized.

International Trade committee  No, October 11.

International Trade committee  I know, but I just wanted to give you the sequence. And then on October 12, when any collection by the U.S. side of those duties should have ceased, I'm just informing the committee that there were some border checkpoints where there was confusion on the part of U.S. Customs officials where they collected that money.

International Trade committee  That's correct. I would just flag that in the EDC process, when EDC buys the rights from the individual importer of record, the importer of record also authorizes EDC to pay a specific amount.

International Trade committee  You've explained the processes under the two principal elements. Correct.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Julian. There are a couple of points. With respect to the EDC process, the latest information from the EDC is that they are close to finalizing a first tranche of companies. But until the documentation is, as you say, finalized, you can't say whether or not they're participating in the program.

International Trade committee  With respect to the EDC program, as you've identified it, the 18% does not include administrative costs. The 18% is the money used to redirect it to the U.S. interests. You'll recall that of that $1 billion we're obligated to pay to various U.S. interests, that 18% has nothing to do with administration.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much. With respect to your question about protection for individual companies, I think the protection is in following the option A or option B elements in terms of the companies' exports and the allocations. Those replace the trade remedy option that would be open to the United States were there not an agreement.

International Trade committee  Thank you very much, Mr. André. With respect to the first question about how much money will be designated for the administrative and legal costs, I think the administrative costs will be a relatively constant amount and that will be subject to the consultations with the provinces.

International Trade committee  A range of legal proceedings followed the bringing into force of the agreement. A precondition for bringing the agreement into force was the liquidation of duties and the return of the $4.5 billion to Canada. This was accomplished. However, the authority of the softwood lumber agreement is not the determining factor for the courts.

International Trade committee  The last point on that is this. For the importers of record, when making that decision whether to participate in the EDC program or to wait for Customs to refund their money directly, the special charge is identified, as was the remittance of the 18% under the special charge, if they participated in the EDC program.