Québec forest industry - Minister Lessard signals his concerns over the renewal of the softwood lumber agreement to his federal colleague

QUÉBEC CITY, March 4, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Laurent Lessard, had an opportunity yesterday to speak to the federal Minister of International Trade, Chrystia Freeland. Minister Lessard took advantage of their conversation to mention that the Québec government intends to ensure that the particularities of its forest regime are recognized during the process to renew the softwood lumber agreement.

"Our forest regime is the strictest in the world. In addition, some elements of the regime, such as the open market and the timber marketing board, match US demands for a price for lumber from Québec's public forests that better reflects market conditions. These particularities must be fairly recognized, and I was pleased to note Minister Freeland's attentive response," states Minister Lessard.

"Québec is a world leader in the field of forestry, and the federal government has a duty to promote our regime and its particularities. We will continue to highlight these particularities in upcoming discussions and negotiations concerning exports of forest products from Québec. Forestry is part of Québec's DNA and provides over 60,000 high-quality jobs in all regions of Québec. This is why we will spare no effort to protect the forest and maximize forest-related economic benefits," concludes Minister Lessard.

Québec's forest regime was passed by a unanimous vote of the National Assembly in 2010 and came into force in 2013. Its main feature is to ensure that sales of timber from the public forests are made at the best possible price. For this reason, it provides a fairer reflection of the true value of the timber than the systems applied in many other jurisdictions such as Maine, Minnesota, Georgia and Washington.

For more information about the MFFP and to find out more about its activities and work, consult the website mffp.gouv.qc.ca and the social media pages:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ForetsFauneParcs 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MFFP_Quebec 

Source:

Mathieu Gaudreault

Press Officer

Office of the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks

Phone: [phone]

 

SOURCE Cabinet du ministre des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs

For further information: Mathieu Gaudreault, Press Officer, Office of the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, Phone: [phone]