The federal government's aid package for the softwood lumber industry will be released Thursday, and media outlets are saying it will contain almost $1 billion.
Anonymous sources have said the aid package will include money for employment insurance (EI) benefits for workers in affected regions. There will also be money tabbed for lumber mills to innovate in the face of competition from the U.S.
U.S. duties were introduced on Canadian softwood exports a month ago following an investigation by the U.S. Commerce Department.
The Ontario and Quebec governments asked Ottawa to set up a program to help companies offset the tariffs, which range from three per cent to 24% for five major exporters, with all other companies facing countervailing duties of 19.9%.
Countervailing duties are used to level the playing field when one country believes that another country's product is unfairly subsidized. U.S. lumber companies claim Canadian companies have an unfair advantage with preferential access to Crown-owned lands that charge lower stumpage fees.
