This open letter letter has been sent to the Right Honorable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, and the Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Economic Development
Dear Prime Minister Carney and Minister Joly,
As National President of the Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC), I am writing to express our deep concern for the state of Canada’s forest sector, and in particular the pulp and paper industry in British Columbia.
The PPWC represents thousands of workers across British Columbia who are the backbone of our forest communities. Members who have built their livelihoods and families around one of Canada’s most important renewable industries. Today, they are facing an unprecedented crisis.
The recent imposition of new U.S. tariffs under Section 232 has placed enormous pressure on an already struggling sector. The combination of punitive duties, collapsing lumber prices, and declining demand in the U.S. housing market threatens the viability of sawmills, pulp mills, and entire communities that rely on them. Once these mills are gone, they are gone for good and with them go good union jobs and the stability of rural Canada.
While we recognize the importance of supporting Canada’s auto, steel, and aluminum sectors, it is impossible to ignore the stark contrast in the federal government’s response. Those industries have seen significant support and attention from Ottawa, while the forest sector particularly in British Columbia, has been left to bear the brunt of global trade and market shocks with limited assistance.
Forestry is to British Columbia what auto manufacturing is to Ontario it is our lifeblood. It sustains small towns, Indigenous communities, and thousands of families across the province. Yet we are not seeing the same urgency or commitment from the federal government to defend and invest in this critical sector.
We are therefore calling on your government to:
1. Make forestry a national priority on par with Canada’s other major industries.
2. Accelerate the release of federal support programs, including the promised $700 million in liquidity and transition funding.
3. Ensure that any aid is tied to job protection, community stability, and long-term industrial renewal, not just corporate balance sheets.
4. Work with provinces, labour organizations, and industry to protect and modernize Canada’s pulp and paper mills — ensuring they remain a cornerstone of a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
Prime Minister, Minister Joly, the workers of British Columbia’s Forest sector deserve the same respect and attention afforded to other Canadian industries in times of crisis. We urge you to act swiftly and decisively to preserve these jobs, communities, and the future of Canada’s renewable forest economy.
I would like to request an audience with you and some of our PPWC Local Presidents and PPWC National President from around the province to speak with you as we all be in Ottawa on the weekend of October 17, 2025, for a Conference. Please let me know what time we can meet with you on October 18th or 19th at your soonest convenience.
Sincerely,
Geoff Dawe
National President
Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC)
Chuck LeBlanc
National 1st Vice-President
Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC)
