Derek Nighbor

New Brunswick industry is likely to get a boost from the federal budget… New Brunswick’s forestry sector … stands to benefit from the federal budget, said Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada. While the main priority is a trade deal with the United States, Nighbor said a second priority “is ensuring that in the interim, our …businesses are protected through backstop funding programs.” …Nighbor said New Brunswick forestry hasn’t seen the layoffs that the industry has in British Columbia and Quebec. “That said, at a 45 per cent duty tariff combination, if this continues to drag, we will see impacts in New Brunswick.” Recently, New Brunswick Natural Resources Minister John Herron said he would support a cap on softwood to secure a tariff deal with the US… When asked about this, Nighbor said “we need creative ideas at the fingertips of negotiators to try to get us to the right place.”