Repeal of Softwood Lumber Regulations

Summary#

The federal government registered the Regulations Repealing Certain Regulations Made Under the Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006 (Miscellaneous Program) (SOR/2026-69) to remove three older rules that are no longer in use. The repeal took effect on the day the instrument was registered (April 16, 2026) and was published in the Canada Gazette on May 6, 2026.

What it does#

• Repeals these three sets of regulations that were linked to the 2006 softwood lumber agreement:
  • Conditions for Exempted Persons Regulations (SOR/2007-17)
  • Payments to the Provinces Regulations (SOR/2007-252)
  • American Consumption of Softwood Lumber Products Regulations (SOR/2008-185)
• Confirms these repeals came into force on registration (April 16, 2026).
• Notes that exporters still need export permits under the Export and Import Permits Act and must follow the Export Permits Regulations (Softwood Lumber Products 2015). The repeal does not change those permit rules.
• Explains why: the three regulations were tied to the 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement (which began October 12, 2006, lasted seven years, and was extended), and after that agreement expired (extended to October 12, 2015) the measures in those regulations stopped being applied and are now considered spent.

Who's affected#

• Canadian companies and individuals who export softwood lumber to the United States — mainly because those businesses need to know which export rules still apply.
• Canada Revenue Agency and Global Affairs Canada, which reviewed regulatory stock and identified these rules as obsolete.
• Provincial governments in a technical sense, because one of the repealed regulations dealt with payments to provinces; the Gazette item says that regulation is now spent. It does not say whether any active payments are changing.

Why it matters#

• It removes obsolete rules and reduces confusion about which federal regulations still apply to softwood lumber exports.
• It is billed as having no new costs for businesses or the public, because the repealed rules were no longer enforced.
• It does not change current export-permit requirements. Exporters still need permits under existing permit rules.
• The repeal is part of housekeeping: cleaning up old regulations that were linked to an agreement that expired (and to trade conditions that have since moved on, including U.S. duties and international dispute actions noted by the government).