Tuesday October 21, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
BC softwood lumber that is exported to the United States has been a key economic activity for decades. Fees like duties and tariffs have been as much as 35% for a while, and last week went up to 45%.
This challenges the sustainability of forestry activity including the operation of mills and keeping people employed in forest sector jobs.
Nearly 10 minutes was taken up in Question Period in the BC legislative Assembly today to review some of this.
Premier David Eby defended the province’s actions on supporting the forestry sector including protecting jobs.
This came up in the context of the Opposition challenge that the government is not doing enough, especially as the 45% duties and tariffs on softwood lumber exports to the United States are having a serious impact on mill operations and forestry jobs.
What the previous government did:
The BC Liberals ran government between 2001 and mid-2017. The BC NDP have been government since mid-2017.
Eby opened his remarks by ‘reminding’ Opposition Leader John Rustad (who was a cabinet minister in the former BC Liberal government) that under the BC Liberals 45 mills closed, 70,000 forestry jobs were lost, and there was removal of the requirement that trees close to the mill go to support local jobs.
That was back in the early 2000s when mass privatization of forest lands in BC was what happened to that sector, under then Premier Gordon Campbell. Forest lands were “sold off to corporate donors of his party”.
As to the results of that time: “It puts us in a difficult position responding to pine beetle kill, forest fire, and the understandable desire of the majority of British Columbians to protect our precious old growth forest,” said Eby.
The previous government had been asleep at the wheel when it came to softwood lumber duties, Eby said had been stated by a leader in the forest sector in 2017. “We’ve been fighting since day one to get a deal on softwood lumber. And at the same time w’eve had to endure the other side saying things like’ Canada’s western provinces should be a protectorate of the United States’ (attributed to MLA for Salmon Arm – Shuswap). Or that “Eby needs to comply with Trump for the greater good,” which was attributed to the MLA for Chilliwack North.
Current Opposition pressures:
The Premier continued with challenges to the BC Conservative opposition as to their comments supporting Trump.
He presented this quote from the MLA for Langley-Walnut Grove: “It’s a simple neighbourhly request to make. Fix the border. It doesn’t need to be tariffs.”
Eby also referred to an opposition comment that it was a mistake to block US liquor products from BC liquor stores.
“They called cutting off electricity to the US a war crime,” said Eby, referring to an Opposition member’s comment in previous months.
“We’ll stand up for Canadians and British Columbians every single time,” Eby concluded on that topic.
“The Opposition is calling for us to kiss the ring of the man who is attacking our foundational industry in this province,” Eby wrapped up with.
Creative solutions:
“These are not easy issues, these are hard challenges that the government’s grappling with,” the Premier said. “But on top of that, to face 45% duties on wood going to our biggest market — the United States. Worse access to the United States than Russia has. We’re fighting these things,” said Eby.
The forestry sector challenges “require creative solutions and finding a path forward”, said Eby today.
Eby said that 2,100 jobs have been created in the forestry sector and that 2,700 more have been protected through the manufacturing jobs fund — giving mills additional tools to add value to BC timber. That is “something that could have easily been done before”, said Eby referring to the previous BC Liberal government.
Timber products are being sold overseas through expanded BC offices in international locations… “work that has to happen”.
Salvaged logging permits out of wildfire damaged woods. The NDP government has cut the time for approval for that from 40 days to 25 days.
Rustad’s response:
Rustad said that 70,000 British Columbians left this province last year due to economic challenges. Between 2009 and 2017 jobs were added to the forestry sector (under the former BC Liberal government) but which have now been lost, said Rustad.
Rustad says there are problems with delays and permits for the forestry sector now under the NDP government. He said that jobs are preferred over “bridges to retirement”.
“This softwood lumber problem has gone on under their entire time (as government), and they’ve done nothing,” said Rustad in the legislative assembly today.
Forestry minister:
Forests Minister Ravi Parmar — who has visited a number of forestry towns and operations this year — said today in the House that the NDP government will “fight like hell” for the forestry workers.
Parmar added that the desire for a “strong, sustainable robust forest sector” cannot be resolved with 45% duties and tariffs.
Political landscape:
Forestry is an industry that supports many aspects of Canadian life in that it’s used for a wide range of infrastructure including housing construction.
Where the pressure most likely needs to be placed by BC is on the federal government to ensure that the forestry sector is right up there in negotiations with the US along with protections for steel, aluminum, energy and vehicle manufacturing.
In recent days, Premier Eby has been doing just that — telling media that the Carney Liberal government needs to keep forestry in the top tier of areas for economic protection while they are in trade negotiations with the US administration.
===== RELATED:
Softwood lumber duties & tariffs now 45%; Eby calls for federal urgency to support the sector (October 14, 2025)
NEWS SECTIONS: FORESTRY | 43rd BC PARLIAMENT