FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY URGES SMART GOVERNMENT ACTION TO CREATE JOBS OF THE
FUTURE

OTTAWA, Oct. 25 /CNW/ - The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) commends the government for its strong stewardship through a difficult economic period and urges it to build on Canada's solid position by strategically setting business conditions that would help the industry become greener, more competitive and an innovative contributor to the bio-economy. 

The President and CEO of FPAC, Avrim Lazar, will also tell the House of Commons Finance committee today that at a time of a fragile economic recovery, it is also essential to renew and refocus initiatives that are already helping to transform the industry.

"The government took necessary and often difficult decisions to ensure that Canada would emerge from the recent recession with as little damage as possible," says Lazar. "We should now take advantage of this position to accelerate improvements to our industrial competitiveness, to further leverage our environmental credentials into market advantage, and to help pursue opportunities in the bio-economy." 

The private sector, including the forest products industry, is now keen to do its part to drive the economic recovery forward.  But it is facing lagging levels of business investment and productivity, intensifying international competition and an economically challenged customer to the south.

"There is no doubt that our sector has gone through a very rough stretch but we are emerging from the downturn with a dynamic new face for forestry with strong environmental leadership, as a player in bio-energy and with new global exports, notably to China.  The economic promise of new technologies and products is truly immense. " says Lazar.  "We are working hard today to secure the jobs of tomorrow but to succeed we need the government to get it right."

Lazar says the 2010 Federal Budget contained important measures to help spur innovation and investment . "We need to continue to build on these successes," he says.

FPAC provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. Canada's forest products industry employs about 240,000 direct jobs from coast to coast, more than the auto and aerospace sectors combined.   The industry is aspiring to be a world leader in being innovative, progressive and green. With the right business conditions, it is aiming to double its revenue over the next ten years and be a $100 billion contributor to the Canadian economy by 2020.

Details of the FPAC submission to the Finance Committee can be found at: www.fpac.ca

Forest Products Association of Canada

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $54-billion-a-year forest products industry represents almost 2% of Canada's GDP and is one of Canada's largest employers, operating in hundreds of communities and providing hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs across the country.

For further information:

Media Contact:

Susan Murray
Executive Director, Public Relations
Forest Products Association of Canada
Association des produits forestiers du Canada
[email protected]
613-563-1441 x313