Letter to Maria Pagan, Acting United States Trade Ambassador - Ensure Canada is Adhering to Trade Rules and to Guard Against Potentially Illegal and Harmful Subsidies

Letter

Dear Ms. Pagan:

We write to express our concerns regarding reports of unfair subsidies that may have been received by the McInnis Cement Company for construction of a new plant in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec, and the impacts such subsidies could have on industries in Maine.

News reports indicate that loans and equities, valued at hundreds of millions of dollars, from the provincial government in Quebec are flowing to the McInnis Cement's newly established $1.1 billion plant in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Quebec. We understand that the plant is expected to become operational in the next three to six months and that a significant portion of the product from the McInnis Cement plant will be exported to the United States. Moreover, we understand that exports from the McInnis plant may be targeted specifically for distribution throughout the Northeast, which would cause a much more significant effect on this regional market.

We urge the Office of the United States Trade Representative to ensure that the provincial government of Quebec is adhering to Canada's obligations under the World Trade Organization regarding this matter in order to prevent harm to Dragon Cement and its workers from potentially illegal subsidies. We specifically request your continued attention to resolving this critical issue.