Two public letters written by British Columbia’s newly appointed minister of forests Ravi Parmar are focusing on jobs, fair trade, sustainability and growth.
Minister Parmar is the MLA for Langford-Juan de Fuca, and the first letter is an introductory message that sets out an agenda for the coming months. As he writes: “I appreciate your relationship and previous work with the Ministry of Forests and am committed to addressing the issues important to you and all British Columbians. Our forest industry is at a crucial point. The communities and people that depend on it require us to work together to address the challenges and meet the opportunities presented to us.”
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The second letter is addressed to Mary Ng, the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, and Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and it focuses on the challenges in the softwood lumber industry.
As Minister Parmar writes: “The tens of thousands of hard-working British Columbians working in the forest sector have struggled and adapted with the impact of softwood lumber duties for more than seven years. Our rural communities have been hit the hardest by the impact of these unjustified duties. If the United States continues to refuse to engage in negotiations to resolve this dispute in the coming months, our communities, sector and workers will require urgent support once the anticipated duty increase comes into effect next August.”
