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“Obviously we want to stand up for Canada and our provinces. So I’m not saying Canada should roll over per se, but for us, there are different ways to try to get to the result that we want. And I think working collaboratively is in the best interests of everyone,” he said.

“If it requires us to take other action, or more significant action down the road, then … we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

Doer said that with Alberta’s extensive energy and agriculture imports into the U.S., a potential broader trade dispute is a worrying prospect for the province.

About 70 per cent of exports from Canada’s $8.6-billion softwood lumber industry went to the United States in 2015. About 40 per cent of Albertan exports, valued at $600 million to $800 million, go south of the border.

This is the fifth time since 1982 that the United States has investigated alleged subsidies for Canadian lumber, with Canada winning each time the matter went to international tribunals.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday there won’t be a trade war between Canada and the U.S., insisting that regular trade remedy procedures are simply doing their job.

Maryscott Greenwood of the Canadian-American Business Council said Ottawa should not rush into action.

“You never want to see retaliation take effect because ultimately you shoot yourself in the foot too,” said Greenwood in an interview from Washington Monday.

“That having been said, preparing for it, showing that you’re willing to engage in the brawl if you have to … it’s important to go through that scenario.”

Greenwood, a longtime friend and associate of Doer, said he was “one of the most well-respected and politically savvy diplomat” in Washington.

“You have to have somebody who understands the nuances of political pressure … It’s not enough to have good trade lawyers who know the letter of the law.”

jwood@postmedia.com