Environment Committee on Sept. 18th, 2024

[Valérie Dufour, Coordinator, Sales and Transport, Boisaco Inc.]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My name is Valérie Dufour and I have the privilege of working for Boisaco Inc. I'm also a municipal councillor for Sacré‑Coeur. My spouse and I both work thanks to the Boisaco group's forestry operations.

I am appearing before you today so that you know that, since the announcement of the possible adoption of the order, our lives have literally been on pause. For example, when my children asked me this year what we were going to do over the summer vacation, I had to tell them that there would be no vacation this summer. I told them that if the order goes through as is, mom and dad will lose their jobs and have to move out of Sacré‑Coeur. I promised them that I would do everything in my power to try to stay at home in Sacré‑Coeur.

My family isn't the only one going through such times of uncertainty and anguish. The closure of Boisaco's plants would be catastrophic for Sacré‑Coeur and its citizens. On behalf of myself, my spouse, my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the citizens of my village, I ask you to review the order and find plausible solutions. I remain hopeful that, together, we can find solutions that will enable us to keep our jobs and continue to earn a decent living. This is a huge cry from the heart to you this evening on behalf of all the dads and moms who, like me, have promised their children that they could continue to work and stay at home in Sacré‑Coeur.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you, Ms. Dufour.

Mr. Dionne, if you have anything to add, you have about one minute.

[Joyce Dionne, Worker, Harvesting Team, Boisaco Inc.]

Good evening, everyone.

My name is Joyce Dionne and I'm a wood harvesting specialist at Boisaco. The Dionne family has been harvesting wood for over 50 years. Even the children have the same passion as we do. I lead a team of 15 men, all as proud as I am of their forestry profession. The announcement of the order is a catastrophe for us. It jeopardizes the families of forestry workers.

The work of harvesting and management creates a renewable forest, which we all take care of by respecting biodiversity and environmental standards. What's more, forest management greatly reduces the risk of fire and allows the public to enjoy the area for leisure activities.

There's a way for everyone to benefit without the loss of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. I sincerely believe that with Boisaco's knowledge of the territory and the government's requirements, we can find solutions together to abolish this decree. To better understand the sector in question, I would like the members of your committee to visit our territory. They'll then have a better idea of the situation and be able to make a more informed decision.

Twenty-five years ago, when I started in forestry in this same area, there were 40 harvesters and three sawmills. Today, we have fewer than 10 harvesters and only one sawmill in the territory, and we're not in a position to operate it. Where will it all end? Because of the order, I'm feeling stress, anxiety and discouragement, which is upsetting everyone around me. I'd like you to think about the future of our young people in forestry, which would also be compromised by this order. Don't forget that we all depend on the forest.

Thank you for listening.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Thank you very much, Mr. Dionne.

We'll begin this round of questions with Mr. Martel, for six minutes.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for coming here today.

Mr. Dufour, it always seems like the forest has a bad reputation. People still talk about the forest the way they did in the 1960s. But things have improved a lot. I'm sure you love the forest, and I'd like you to tell me about the benefits of the forest industry.

[Joseph-Pierre Dufour]

I work more on the processing side. As I explained, in our complex, everything we do is based on sustainable development, with secondary and tertiary processing. No material is wasted. One hundred per cent of it is put to use.

As for harvesting in the forest, Mr. Dionne would be better able to answer your question.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Dionne, I'll let you continue.

[Joyce Dionne]

There's no doubt that over the past 25 years, everything has improved in the forest. We do special cuts with all kinds of adaptations, taking into account the protection of endangered species. We take care of everything.

It's not what it was 50 years ago. Don't think that foresters are forest “destroyers”, it's not that at all. They don't just collect their cash and go home. Everyone cares about the forest.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Mr. Dionne, in the forestry sector, we always hear that workers are workers from generation to generation. Often, it's the children who continue to work in the forest. Where you live, in Sacré‑Coeur, is it anything like that?

[Joyce Dionne]

In Sacré‑Coeur, everyone works for Boisaco. People are proud of their plant. Happiness is something you share. Everyone is happy. Without having to, the children are ready to continue what their parents did. They're proud of that.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you.

Ms. Dufour, if Mr. Guilbeault imposes his order, what will it mean for you and your family?

[Valérie Dufour]

We will certainly not be able to stay in Sacré‑Coeur. My husband and I both work in forestry operations. If, unfortunately, the order is adopted as is, one of the repercussions would probably be the closure of Boisaco. That would mean my husband and I would lose our jobs. We'd have to go elsewhere. It's a far cry from what we want. We've had the privilege of practising our trades outside, in large urban centres, but the call of the forest, the call of our community, quickly came back. We're in Sacré‑Coeur by choice; we chose to work here.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Ms. Dufour.

How much time do I have left, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You still have two and a half minutes.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Ms. Dufour, it was touching when the mayor said that, if the order were imposed, there would be a risk that the community would disappear. I'll give you the floor.

[Valérie Dufour]

Indeed, the village's survival is threatened. The Boisaco group isn't just a company that hires people and creates jobs, it's a partner for our municipality. When we organize events or buy goods, Boisaco is always behind us. We can always count on them. For us, it's invaluable help.

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

If the order is imposed, how do you see the future? Are you currently thinking about what you're going to do with your belongings, with your house, and where you're going to move? Have you considered this with your husband?

[Valérie Dufour]

Yes, we've been forced to think about it. We hope with all our hearts that it doesn't happen, but we're going through terrible anguish. If the Boisaco complex closes and I have to relocate my family, I'll have to sell my house to buy another. We know very well that the village of Sacré‑Coeur is in danger of closing, and that's a source of worry, since we won't be able to sell our house. I have three young children, so how am I going to move, how am I going to relocate my family?

[Richard Martel, Conservative, Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, QC]

Thank you, Ms. Dufour.

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Mr. van Koeverden, you now have the floor.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank all the witnesses who are participating in this evening's meeting.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all the workers in the forestry sector. Wood, and pulp and paper are sustainable products compared to other products, such as plastics. Thank you very much for your conscientious work, for your efforts in tree planting and reforestation, and for your contribution to the Canadian economy.

For what it's worth, you seem stressed, and I just want to express my sympathy with you, because this seems like a very emotional and stressful time for your families. You're working hard to provide for your families and contribute to the Canadian economy, and I want to acknowledge that.

My question is for Monsieur Jetté. It's about the future of forestry in Canada and about our ability and, frankly, obligation to ensure that there is one. We have to ensure that there is a future economy of forestry in Canada because we rely on it. We rely on the products, and we rely on the contributions to the economy. Workers rely on the money they make to provide for their families.

From my perspective.... We built a deck this summer out of wood. That wood was harvested in Canada. We need to ensure that we have a sustainable lumber and pulp and paper economy in Canada. That includes making sure that our commitments for biodiversity are also respected.

The term “balance” has come up a few times in this committee. We've had workers, industry representatives and scientists come and express varying degrees of urgency with respect to the population of caribou and also for the industry itself.

From your position, Monsieur Jetté, where do we find a balance for Canadian workers, for the Canadian economy and for the future of the forestry industry, which needs to protect the whole forest and not just the woods?

[Jean-Pierre Jetté]

I think a good part of the solution lies in the plants, in the industry. It has often been said that the industry needs to renew itself, for all kinds of reasons other than caribou. The caribou situation is bringing us brutally close to the deadline, but in any case, changes have to be made. Let's take the opportunity to make those changes, to speed up those changes and to find a way forward that will both protect the caribou and, above all, ensure a future for this industry.

These changes require a modernization of the wood industry. As I was saying earlier, modernization must be done not only by investing more in high-value products, but also by trying to derive value from the very large quantities of wood that are not currently valued in Quebec. They aren't valued because they don't meet the needs of the current industry structure. This is an important point. I'll give you an example. In 2020, the Quebec government's National Wood Production Strategy indicated that, each year, 11 million cubic metres of hardwood is not used by the industry. Of course, this is across Quebec, but the strategy already called for the value chain to be adjusted to derive the most value out of this wood.

Isn't there a potential way of reassuring people? The anxiety is palpable, and it's important to listen to people. Can it be reduced, not by defending the status quo, but by looking to the future, which we hope would be sustainable?

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Thank you for that.

How much time do I have left?

[The Chair, Liberal, Francis Scarpaleggia]

You have a little more than a minute.

[Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Milton, ON]

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We've also heard on this committee from first nations leaders who, over 10 years ago, had to take the extraordinary steps to stop hunting caribou, a practice they had relied on since time immemorial. However, recognizing the decline in populations, that extraordinary step had to be taken.

I also want to acknowledge that a lot of first nations people living in Quebec are employed in the pulp, paper and lumber industries, so it presents a little bit of another challenge with respect to the term “balance”. If we want to see caribou in 50 years and a forestry sector in 50 years, then change is necessary; some modifications to the current status quo are necessary. The officials who just left us said that the status quo will result in a further decline of the caribou populations.

I'd like to ask a question to—