Ottawa, ON – Gaétan Malette, Conservative Associate Shadow Minister for Natural Resources (Mining and Forestry), released the following statement:
“Interfor was born in British Columbia, starting with a sawmill along the Fraser River in the Lower Mainland. Now, after over six decades as a Canadian company, they announced on Tuesday that they would be moving their headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia, after Carney failed to negotiate the win he promised or reverse the 45 per cent tariff on Canadian softwood lumber.
“This is yet another blow to our forestry industry, who have seen closure after closure from the Crofton pulp mill on Vancouver Island and the West Fraser sawmill in 100 Mile House to the closure of the Northwood pulp mill in Prince George earlier this month. Each of these closures leaves families scrambling to find a way to keep a roof over their head, gas in their car and food in their fridges.
“But it’s clear these are more than just singular closures. Total lumber production has fallen by over 30 per cent since the Liberals took office, and softwood lumber production has fallen by 10.7 per cent since Carney took office. That adds up to 21 mills closing either permanently or indefinitely since 2023, with 15,000 jobs being lost in BC’s forestry sector over the last four years, according to the BC Council of Forest Industries.
“Canada’s forestry industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, generates billions of dollars for our economy and supplies us every day with the essentials of life, from lumber to build homes to the shipping boxes essential for modern commerce. Every one of us feels the impact of our lumber sector, and everyone in lumber communities feels the impact of these closures.
“This is the direct result of Carney continuing to fail to secure a deal on lumber, as our producers face a combined 45 per cent tariff on their softwood lumber exports to the United States. It’s now been 11 years without a deal under the Liberals, despite Prime Minister Stephen Harper managing to negotiate an end to, and refund of, American softwood lumber tariffs within 79 days of becoming Prime Minister.
“Meanwhile, as he fails to get a deal abroad, his policies are harming investment here at home. The Liberals’ own Forest Sector Transformation Task Force delivered its verdict in the spring: the most significant barriers facing the industry are ‘homegrown.’ A homegrown crisis of unstable fibre access, duplicated federal regulations and permitting paralysis.
“Canada should be the best place in the world to invest in forestry, but after over a decade of this Liberal government, It’s clear that our flagship forestry companies have given up on investing in Canada.
“Conservatives will fight for a softwood lumber deal that defends Canadian workers instead of conceding our leverage without getting anything in return. It’s time to stand up for our forestry workers and their families by unleashing our resources and rebuilding our industrial base to make our country stronger at home and confront US tariffs.”