The leaders of Canada's three opposition parties are calling for federal loan guarantees to help companies suffering from U.S. duties on softwood lumber.

Speaking at a press conference with NDP Leader Jack Layton and Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said Canadians will soon have the chance to judge Prime Minister Paul Martin's success on the softwood-lumber dispute.

"The Liberals have had months and years to deal with this issue. They promise and promise but they never deliver," Harper told the conference in Ottawa Tuesday.

"Clearly the only way we are going to move forward is by changing the government."

Layton said: "What does Canada want? More lost jobs? Billions of dollars piling up in a U.S. bank account? The industry needs an aid package here."

All three leaders called on the government to deliver a package of loan guarantees and assistance for workers hit by the dispute.

Their comments came just hours after Martin insisted again that he would not back down in the softwood lumber dispute.

"I have been clear from the beginning that in terms of softwood that the United States should honour its signature. It should honour its engagements," Martin told reporters Tuesday.

"If they do not, then we will act. We are going to protect our industries. We are going to protect the communities and the workers who were involved, and we will do so in whatever depth and for as long as that takes."

The Liberal government is reportedly planning to announce a forestry package worth about $1 billion, but Harper says it's only doing that because an election appears imminent.

Three years ago, the leaders of the three opposition parties held a similar joint news conference calling on the federal government to take immediate action on the softwood issue.

Softwood dispute

Washington has disregarded a string of decisions favouring Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement in a bitter battle going back years over softwood lumber exports.

Ottawa broke off negotiations this summer after the U.S. refused to respect a NAFTA decision that found U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber to be in violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Ottawa is insisting that the United States return at least $3.5 billion CDN of some $5 billion in duties collected from Canadian lumber companies.

Washington wants to negotiate a settlement and U.S. officials like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins have been telling Canada to tone down the rhetoric.

The U.S. has won several WTO rulings that support American action against allegedly unfair Canadian lumber subsidies.

Election

Tuesday's news conference comes just one week before the three opposition parties are expected to pull the plug on the minority Liberal government.

On Monday, the House of Commons easily passed an NDP motion, supported by the Bloc and Conservatives, which called for a federal election to be held on Feb. 13

However, the Liberals have said they will ignore the non-binding motion, saying the opposition has to either bring in a formal non-confidence motion or wait for the spring election that Martin has already promised.

If the Liberals carry through on their intention to ignore the motion, the Conservatives will introduce a formal non-confidence motion on Thursday.

That motion is scheduled to come to a vote on Monday, Nov. 28.

If the government is defeated, a campaign would start on November 29 for an election in January, most likely on January 16 or 23.