Whither The Softwood Lumber Deal?

So far talk of the deal's possible demise has come mostly from U.S. politicians. However, now the Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, a lobby group that has been the main driving force behind this issue on the American side, has spoken out. And what they are saying is not good:

Coalition Chairman Steve Swanson stated, “The SLA is a compromise, and we would have much preferred fully open and competitive Canadian timber markets as the solution to the unfair trade problem. But the SLA can and should be an enduring solution if its requirements are observed. The Canadian government presently is not applying export measures as required by the agreement, and provinces are providing forbidden subsidies. It is imperative that these issues be resolved quickly, and we support ongoing efforts to resolve them.”

"Resolving these issues" apparently means sending them to London Court of International Arbitration, whose decision will be based on the wording of the agreement. And one problem is that, as part of the original deal, our guys handed over $500,000,000 to the Coalition, which will now pay for their legal expenses! We're financing their case, in other words.

Talk about being played for suckers!