U.S. ends duties on supercalendered paper imports from Canada

The U.S. Department of Commerce says it has ended countervailing duties on supercalendered paper from Canada that have been in place since 2015.

The move comes after Verso Corp., the main U.S. producer of the glossy paper stock, told the U.S. commerce secretary in March that it was no longer interested in continuing with the duties following a settlement with some Canadian producers.

The U.S. Department of Commerce said Friday that the final results of a review sparked by the settlement mean it will retroactively revoke the duties to their start date in August 2015, and will repay companies with interest.

Saint John-based J.D. Irving issued a statement saying it appreciates the “hard work” of Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and her staff. Montreal-based Resolute Forest Products Inc. said it was “pleased” the duties would be lifted. The company said it had paid $60 million in cash deposits from the duties and expects to know the timing of its refund in the coming days.

The end of duties is a rare bright spot for Canada in an environment of increasingly protectionist actions from the United States. Softwood lumber producers are still contending with duties on their products, while more recently U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on aluminum and steel imports and threatened to do the same with auto imports.