also received support from Canada's three major softwood producing provinces, British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario. Following the initial announcement, the province of British Columbia expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement's details. Claiming industry support, B.C.'s forestry minister, Rich Coleman, threatened to "derail the deal" if the provincial government's concerns were not met. Under contention were several details, including an "opt-out" clause (allowing either Canadian or U.S. governments to back out of the deal after 23 months). A number of analysts described the deal as a shameful capitulation of Canadian interests. The deal included language requiring all Canadian companies to drop legal actions against the U.S. government. On September 12, 2006, Emerson and U.S Trade Representative Susan Schwab officially signed the deal in Ottawa. The softwood lumber deal was passed on December 6, 2006, and received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006. Foreign Affairs ministry On May 26, 2008, Emerson was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs following the resignation of Maxime Bernier, though it was reported at the time that Emerson's appointment to the position would be brief. In a cabinet shuffle on June 25, 2008, Prime Minister Harper finalized Emerson's position as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Retirement On September 2, 2008, it was reported that Emerson would not run in the 2008 federal election, citing the lengthy commute from Vancouver to Ottawa as the reason. Also, he wanted time to spend with his son, James, his daughter, Elizabeth, and his son-in law, Patrick. In 2009, he was named co-chair (with Paul Tellier) of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service. He also became a member of the International Advisory Council of the Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation. References External links DavidEmersonLegal.com - Legal issues arising from David Emerson's 2006 change of political party Profile Softwood Lumber Deal 1945 births Anglophone Quebec people Businesspeople from Montreal Businesspeople from Vancouver Canadian bank presidents Canadian Buddhists Canadian chief executives Canadian economists Canadian Ministers of Foreign Affairs Conservative Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada MPs Living people Members of the 27th Canadian Ministry Members of the 28th Canadian Ministry Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Members of the Order of British Columbia Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Politicians from Montreal Politicians from Vancouver Queen's University at Kingston alumni University of Alberta alumni