British Columbia’s trade envoy on softwood lumber is calling his meetings this week in Washington, D-C and Ottawa a good start. But David Emerson says the province wants to find a lasting solution to the long-lived trade dispute and he is ready to fight for its lumber producers. The former federal cabinet minister has met with the U-S Trade Representative’s officials, U-S senators and the National Association of Homebuilders, as well as Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland. The 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement between Canada and the U-S expired in 2015 but Emerson says he believes a negotiated solution can be found that will benefit both countries.