I seem to recall the U.S. finally admitting that they owed Canada a debpt of $5 or $6 Billion from the age-old softwood lumber dispute.
They never paid!!
When the dust settles, we should quietly arrange for a sweet deal for China for our lumber. Train it directly to BC and ship it to China.
Right now we send our raw materials down south, then repurchase processed lumber at a very migh markup.
I think we need to think more globally to safeguard Canadian trade concerns.
As for American concerns, well they will be too busy defending the trade protectionism that is being legislated right now south of the border.
If I was advising Stephen Harper, i woudl recommend he start negotations with China, and when ever asked by reporters about it, simply have the party line "The US is and always be our biggest and most appreciated trade partner". That's all the US administration would need - good sound bytes. And it would buy us a lot of time.