Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. I'll pick up where I left off.
We are committed to supporting Canadian businesses as they develop partnerships for commercial applications of their innovations, raise capital, and tap into the new global value chains for their products.
Canada's ambitious and comprehensive trade policies are bringing Canadian industry to the world and bringing the world's investment to Canada. We are working to increase international competitiveness of our natural resource industries, including forestry.
Since 2015, the trade commissioner service has facilitated numerous forest-related investment projects to Canada, including into Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, New Brunswick and British Columbia.
Companies are helping generate growth and create jobs. They're leaders in achieving our goals for a more sustainable future.
Take for example, Sinar Mas from Indonesia. It has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to modernize paper mills in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, employing 3,000 Canadians. There is the SONAE Group from Portugal, which announced last year that they are investing $23 million to modernize its facility in Quebec, home of North America's largest particle board manufacturing facility.
These investments are coming from around the globe, from Finland, Japan, Belgium and Indonesia. The entire world is investing in Canadian softwood lumber and its innovative by-products.
The investments we are attracting from around the world and the growth those investments are bringing with them are no surprise. Canada's forestry sector's reputation is world renowned for its versatility and innovation, and perhaps most notably, in our current context, for its leadership in sustainability. Canada's forestry sector is the most sustainable in the world.
As I said earlier, and it bears repeating, the economy and the environment go hand in hand. Our government is committed to supporting our softwood lumber industry and protecting and promoting its reputation.
Our softwood lumber industry takes great pride in being a global leader in sustainable forest management and environmentally responsible forestry. Its commitment to sustainable development and environmental standards is going a long way to secure a more sustainable future for all Canadians. Working together, we will be able to reach our environmental target of net zero emissions by 2050.
Our forestry sector knows what we all know. The time to take action to protect the environment is now. It is not just the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do.
A great example is the leadership in British Columbia. It has the tall wood building at UBC, the first mass wood, steel and concrete hybrid project in the world. It is taller than 14 storeys.
Another example is in Quebec, where the provincial government is the first in North America to support the construction of a tall mass timber building.
These kinds of projects offer incredible economic and environmental benefits. This project alone was equivalent to taking 500 cars off the road.
In conclusion, it is clear that we have so much to be proud of with our forestry sector and softwood lumber. Our industry shows leadership on so many fronts, from environmental stewardship to innovation and global trade, while supporting hard-working Canadians and economic growth.
Through all of the challenges facing the industry, our government has committed to continuing our work supporting this vital industry and standing up for the interests of Canadian workers.
We will continue to work closely with provinces, territories, industry and other stakeholders to support and grow the Canadian forestry sector.
Finally, allow me to reiterate here my personal commitment to use every opportunity to raise softwood lumber with my U.S. interlocutors and defend the interests of the Canadian forestry sector, forestry workers and industry supports across the country.
Thank you so much again for the invitation to appear today. I'm looking forward to your questions.
Thank you.