John Desjarlais

Derek Nighbor

Canada’s forest sector stands at a pivotal moment. And while Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent softwood lumber support package offers a welcome first step toward stabilizing the sector, more can be done to put Canadian forestry on a permanent and sustainable path to growth. But persistent trade uncertainty — including the increased duties on softwood lumber exports to the U.S. — threatens both the thousands of jobs at risk as trade negotiations continue and Canada’s ability to operate at scale. …Canada must strengthen itself by adopting a streamlined, outcomes-based regulatory framework that leverages provincial standards and reduces unnecessary duplication. …This is not about deregulation; it’s about smarter regulation—an approach that leverages existing systems, reduces duplication, and focuses on outcomes. It aims to do more with less, protect the environment, support forest-dependent communities, ensure Indigenous participation, and bolster Canada’s global competitiveness. Canada’s forest sector needs the regulatory framework to better enable its full potential.