Canada’s Forest Sector Seeks Clear Signals in Budget 2025 to Set Stage for Recovery and Growth
Federal action can make a tangible difference to cut costs and delays, restore investor confidence, and protect Canadian jobs.
Canadian forestry directly employs over 200,000 Canadians and supports an additional 200,000 jobs in transportation, maintenance, and manufacturing across the country. Hundreds of rural and northern communities depend on a strong forest sector.
Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) sees Budget 2025 as an important opportunity to address current trade, regulatory, and market challenges and to set the stage for the sector’s recovery and growth.
FPAC has put forward 19 practical recommendations for Budget 2025 focusing on three areas where immediate federal action can make a tangible difference: smarter regulation to cut costs and delays, clear investment signals to restore confidence, and stronger trade and market access to protect Canadian jobs.
“Forest sector employees and communities need action now,” said Derek Nighbor, FPAC President and CEO. “Budget 2025 must focus on delivery to improve the domestic regulatory environment, to incentivize investment in Canadian operations, and to protect our employees and forest-dependent communities against current and future trade risk,” Nighbor added.
To keep Canada competitive, policy-led growth is possible. We Grow to Build Canada: A Forest Sector Action Plan for Canada’s Government defines three priorities for the governments support of the sector:
- PROTECT forest sector employees in U.S. trade talks.
- IMPROVE operational and mill competitiveness through innovation and more efficient regulation.
- BUILD more homes with Canadian wood.
FPAC provides a voice for Canada’s wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. As an industry with annual revenues exceeding $87.2B, Canada’s forest products sector is one of the country’s largest employers—providing 200,000 direct jobs and operating in hundreds of communities across the country. Our members are committed to collaborating with Indigenous leaders, government bodies, and other key stakeholders to develop a cross-Canada action plan aimed at advancing forest health, while supporting workers, communities and our environment for the long term.
