gnu - I think you are right. The "rich lumber companies" in B.C. are multinationals. They lobby the politicians for trade agreements which do not favour workers on either side of the border. Nobody seems to be able to make sense of "free trade".

Under the present agreement, however, the U.S. owes Canada billions of dollars.

If the U.S. does not want to honour "free trade" in one industry, then we shouldn't honour "free trade" in another. Basically, the law should apply across the board or we should abandon it entirely.