Susan Holt

New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney in hopes Ottawa will make softwood lumber discussions a priority with the United States. Holt’s letter, co-signed by six other premiers and sent late Tuesday, urges Carney to assign the appropriate resources to negotiate a softwood lumber agreement on exports to the United States. “Ultimately, we seek a negotiated agreement that will maintain and secure the Canadian softwood lumber industry. Our governments expect to be closely consulted as this negotiation process continues,” Holt wrote. …According to Holt’s letter, Canada’s forest industry provides more than 176,000 jobs nationwide and contributed over $23 billion to the economy in 2024. Holt said Canada’s softwood lumber industry across the country has been working together and the belief now is there’s an opportunity to take a pan-Canadian approach to resolving softwood lumber duties disputes for the first time in 40 years.