Premier David Eby said the province has been pushing for Ottawa to re-start the Ports Canada Police, which was disbanded in 1997. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority also ended its funding for the Waterfront Joint Forces Operation team of the RCMP in 2015. “We have called repeatedly for port police to ensure what comes into British Columbia is not contraband,” said Eby. …The call was echoed by B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad, who is urging Eby to immediately recall the legislature to push through provincial funding for a dedicated port police unit and then send Ottawa the bill. Rustad said local police departments and RCMP detachments simply don’t have the capacity or resources to deal with the sheer volume and variety of goods that come into B.C. via shipping containers. …A 2019 report found only one per cent of the shipping containers at the port in Delta were being checked.
Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs of 25% on all imports from Canada and Mexico, and an extra 10% on Chinese goods, accusing the countries of permitting illegal migration and drug trafficking. …The Canadian dollar fell 0.9% against the US dollar to a four-year low, while the Mexican peso shed 1.3%. The announcements serve as opening shots in Trump’s confrontational new trade policy. “Stiff new tariffs on imports from the US’s three largest trading partners would significantly increase costs and disrupt business across all economies involved,” said a Washington-based think-tank. “Even the threat of tariffs can have a chilling effect.” …Canada’s Chrystia Freeland hailed the bilateral relationship with the US as “one of the strongest and closest . . . particularly when it comes to trade and border security”. They also noted that Canada “buys more from the United States than China, Japan, France and the UK combined”, and last year supplied “60% of US crude oil imports”.
Leaders in two industries critical to rural and northern B.C. — mining and forestry — are calling on the new ministers in those areas to improve the regulatory competitiveness of those industries. …Parmar had asked Premier David Eby to head his ministry, having served in it as a senior ministerial advisor before entering elected politics. …Linda Coady, COFI CEO said her organization looks forward to working with Minister Parmar to take what she called “urgent actions”. Coady added it is important that new minister focus on “strengthening the competitiveness” of the forestry sector to support critical rural, resource-based workers, businesses, and communities, advance reconciliation with First Nations and ensure healthy biodiversity and ecosystem outcomes. A focus on three priorities can help achieve these goals, she added. The first concerns stabilizing and increasing fibre supply. …The second concerns securing new agreements with First Nations. …The third concerns forest management.
Forestry and forest products provide a serious economic impact for our province. In addition to that, there’s the positive environmental impacts of proper forest management, the good jobs created for Alberta families, and the investment into the communities supported by the forestry and forest products industries. A recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) highlights that, over the course of one year, Alberta’s forestry industry generated over $14.1 billion in economic activity as well as $2.8 billion in labour income in the province. The total impact figures found in this summary include the sum of direct, indirect and induced economic impacts on Alberta’s economic regions, as well as Alberta and Canada as a whole. Some 30,500 Albertans rely on the forestry industry for their livelihoods. These include workers in small- and mediumsized businesses, repair shops, restaurants, local hardware suppliers, environmental consultants, service providers, and more. 
MONTREAL – Unifor members of Council 4000 and Local 100 at Canadian National Railway (CN Rail) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, with 96% of Local 100 members and 97% of Council 4000 members supporting the mandate, preparing to take action should an agreement not be reached by January 1, 2025. “This overwhelming vote sends a clear message to CN that our members are united and prepared to take action to achieve the fair treatment and respect they deserve,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “Our members have had enough of concessions that erode their rights and livelihoods and they are standing strong to demand a contract that reflects their value and the critical role they play in CN’s success.” The decisive vote underscores the frustration and determination of CN workers who have been advocating for job security, fair compensation and improved working conditions.
NEW BRUNSWICK — Several of the province’s major forestry companies are appealing a major decision in the Indigenous title fight that had appeared to go their way. A judge ruled that several big industrial defendants and everyday private property owners must be removed from a lawsuit launched by the Wolastoqey Nation. But J.D. Irving, Acadian Timber and H.J. Crabbe and Sons have all now filed separate appeals to New Brunswick’s top court. The new appeal argues that while the court ruled that industrial defendants are no longer part of the lawsuit – as they were granted the land by the government and are a third party to the larger dispute – their land is still listed in the lawsuit. …J.D. Irving’s appeal states that the decision maintains a claim against JDI properties, while, at the same time “depriving them of their right to be heard and to make submissions regarding their fundamental property rights.”
QUÉBEC CITY — In the fall 2024 
President-elect Donald Trump plans to implement a 25% tariff on all products from Mexico and Canada to target drugs, particularly fentanyl, and illegal immigration… Trump’s announcement of his plans has spurred questions about what tariffs mean for American consumers, as well as the products that may face additional fees. Oil and “billions worth of wood and paper” are imported from Canada to America, USA TODAY reported. …Congress has the authority to make U.S. tariff policy, and the legislative branch usually set tariff rates before the 1930s… However, Congress has “delegated extensive tariff-setting authority to the President” for decades. Through certain statutes, the president can impose or adjust tariffs, such as adjusting tariffs on imports that threaten U.S. national security or raise tariff rates when the U.S. International Trade Commission finds that an import surge has injured an American industry, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Vietnam’s wood processing and export industry is on track to surpass its 2024 export target of 15.2 billion USD, navigating through complicated market developments with strategic adaptability. Statistics from the General Department of Vietnam Customs showed that Vietnam’s wood export turnover in the first 11 months of 2024 was estimated at over 14.6 billion USD. Industry experts said seeing the market’s robust recovery signs, enterprises have proactively outlined production plans and sought new markets. According to Vice Chairman of the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Chanh Phuong, the US now accounts for 54% of the Vietnamese wood exports. …Chairman of the Binh Duong Furniture Association Nguyen Liem highlighted the efforts of local firms to bolster shipments, including making innovative product designs that are attracting international customers and pivoting to e-commerce channels, demonstrating flexibility in their sales strategies. 
