As one of Canada’s largest employers operating in over 600 communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country, our sector views its commitment to ensuring a stronger, more resilient, and carbon-reduced business model as the centrepiece of our strategy in coming years. 

Ensuring healthy and resilient forests, partnering with Indigenous peoples, and helping Canada tackle climate change are critical to our sector’s contribution to the economy—today and in the future.

Canadian forest products are already recognized as world leading, not only in quality but also in sustainability. 

Canada’s forest products sector is leading the way in sustainable industrial practices, forest management, and by innovating in low-carbon industrial operations and the construction of tall wood buildings that reduce GHG emissions. 

Currently, there are approximately 1,400 Indigenous forest companies that exist in the forest sector, and Indigenous communities now hold approximately 10 per cent of the national wood supply. The forest industry employs 12,500 Indigenous workers, which makes it one of the largest employers of Indigenous people in the country. 

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), is the voice of Canada’s producers of wood, pulp, paper, and wood fibre based bio-products serving national and international markets - a $73 billion-a-year industry.

Forestry Singled Out for Transformative Work

In the federal government’s report from the Economic Strategy Table, “Resources of the Future,” Canada’s forest products sector is singled out for its long-standing efforts to modernize its operations, renew its brand/marketing programs, develop breakthrough products, develop successful indeigenous partnerships and ensure the sustainability of Canada’s forests and its rural and northern communities. 

The report specifically recognizes the contribution of Canada’s forest products sector as a job creator, a partner in addressing climate change, and a leading innovator in clean tech. 

With all this in mind, we at FPAC believe it is imperative that Canada’s government and business leaders commit to working together to leverage the forest products sector’s innovations and successes to ensure Canadians can go on harnessing the full potential of this fast-evolving, future-ready industry.

Public-Private Collaboration Vital to Future Success

Building on our success together, we believe that only a cooperative, public-private collaboration can provide the momentum to overcome today’s challenges. That’s because the forest products sector has arrived at a moment of truth—one where the decisions made by governments will make a tremendous difference to the continuing success of the sector as it strives to move forward in an era of shifting markets, fast-changing technologies, and intensifying environmental needs. 

FPAC is seeking a commitment from decision makers for collective action in support of wide-ranging goals and objectives that will recognize and support the transformative progress forest products companies have made in forest management, carbon reduction, and the creation of an innovative, more sustainable economic contributor.

Advancing Forest Health: No. 1 Priority

Crucial to the success of this overall cooperative strategy is a recognition of the importance above all of maintaining healthy forests. To address the impacts of climate change, support species at risk populations, and ensure resilient forests for future generations, our approach to forest management needs to evolve and innovate. 

In this regard, we urge the federal government undertake a collaboration with provincial governments, Indigenous communities, other rights holders and stakeholders to develop a cross-Canada action plan through a national “Forest Forward” dialogue aimed at advancing forest health, while supporting workers and communities for the long term. 

Canada’s forest products sector is in a unique position to be part of the solution in addressing the impacts of climate change. Through innovative practices and active forest management, the forest sector is part of the solution to regenerate important habitats, keep communities safe from wildfires, and increase carbon storage in the forest and in renewable products. 

In the face of a changing climate, record-breaking fires, pest outbreaks, changing animal health and forage conditions, and other physical and behavioral changes in our forests, the time is now to think about what we should do together in Canada’s forests to maximize the environmental, economic, and social benefits for generations to come.

Overall, we are seeking support for a Cooperative Blueprint for Canada’s Forestry Sector.

CONCLUSION

We are counting on governments, and all rights holders and stakeholders, to recognize the needs and potential of a public-private partnership to achieve our goals— for the good of the environment, the economy, and all Canadians.