The Government of Canada confirmed that the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force had formally begun its work, with the first meeting held in Vancouver, British Columbia. The initiative was launched to support the restructuring, retooling and long-term transformation of Canada’s forest sector in response to trade pressures and the need to strengthen competitiveness and diversification.
According to Natural Resources Canada, the Task Force will operate over a 90-day period and will engage with industry representatives, provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous organisations and labour groups. Public input will also be gathered through an online consultation portal scheduled to open shortly.
The Task Force’s mandate focuses on improving the sector’s long-term sustainability and economic resilience. Its work will examine opportunities to expand modern construction methods, including mass timber, modular systems and prefabricated building solutions, particularly in residential construction. Additional priorities include supporting product diversification through advanced wood materials and bioproducts, strengthening access to domestic and international markets, improving productivity through innovation, digitalisation and advanced technologies, and retooling the industry to better position it for future challenges.
At the conclusion of the 90-day mandate, the Task Force will submit a report with recommendations to Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The Task Force is co-chaired by Ken Kalesnikoff, Principal and Director of Kalesnikoff Mass Timber, and Frédéric Verreault, Executive Vice-President of Chantiers Chibougamau. Members also include Lana Payne, National President of Unifor; Lennard Joe, Chief Executive Officer of the BC First Nations Forestry Council; Don Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Nawitka Capital Advisors Ltd.; Brad Carr, Chief Executive Officer of Mattamy Homes Canada; Jim Irving, Co-Chief Executive Officer of J.D. Irving Ltd., Kent Homes; and Luc Thériault, Chief Executive Officer of Wood Products and President of Domtar Canada, as well as Co-Chair of the Canadian Lumber Trade Alliance.
The Government of Canada reiterated its commitment to supporting the forest sector and the workers and communities that depend on it, while advancing structural changes aimed at ensuring long-term competitiveness. Canada’s forest sector currently supports nearly 200,000 jobs, including more than 11,000 Indigenous workers, and contributes over USD 20 billion to national GDP. Emerging forest-based products, such as engineered timber, biofuels and biodegradable packaging materials derived from forest products, are expected to play an important role in achieving Canada’s net-zero objectives by 2050 and in enabling more sustainable construction solutions.
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