The decision was unanimous for the four-member trade panel, which ruled on the petition filed by the U.S. Lumber Coalition. Canada immediately lodged a legal challenge to the decision under NAFTA's Chapter 19 dispute settlement mechanism, with an official statement declaring that it was "unfair, unwarranted, and troubling." Canada has previously won several NAFTA challenges involving softwood issues in the past. In March 2018, Canada escalated the dispute to the WTO, asking the international trade body to set up an adjudication panel to judge its dispute with the United States. Canadian representatives argued that talks with the U.S. have failed.