Thank you, Kate.
Thanks, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
I want to turn to those opportunities, and some of the areas in which we see forestry workers doing even more for both our economy and the environment. The first we brand under safeguarding the future of our forests. Climate change has emerged as one of the most important transformational challenges, placing unprecedented pressure on our forests’ capacity to remain healthy and resilient. We've seen this in worsening pest outbreaks in the east and the west, and in wild land fires. Forests that are actively managed for the long term, together with the wood products harvested from them, are a key tool in the fight to address climate change. Active management will continue to provide those societal benefits, as well as to build more resiliency into Canada's forests for the future.
One of the other areas is bringing more capital investment to Canada. We have worked with FPAC members and non-members in recent months and have identified over 140 shovel-ready capital projects worth over $1.5 billion in value that can sustain and grow jobs across the country, improve our competitiveness and improve our environmental performance. I look forward to talking with you a bit more about those details.
Next is jobs and products for our people. We can sustain and grow family-supporting jobs in communities that desperately need them. By strengthening our sector domestically, we can also ensure that we have a strong supply of lumber and wood products, pulp and paper, wood fibre-based health and hygiene products, and bioproducts made right here in Canada so that we can provide for our people. Doing this provides important opportunities for SMEs, including the over 1,400 indigenous-owned forestry businesses that are a critical part of our sector. I think back to earlier in the spring, when President Trump stopped that shipment of 3M medical masks at the border. They contained northern reinforced pulp from Canadian forests. That was a reminder to us about the importance of and the opportunity for greater self-sufficiency in terms of how we manage the resource and we deal with value-added manufacturing here.
The other solution is to grow export markets. We're really well positioned to be a global leader in sustainably sourced, manufactured renewables and in bringing more quality and innovative products to the world. We have a few comments on how you can help get us there.
The first area is greater clarity between federal and provincial governments and more predictable or certain access to the working land base. As Kate said, 94% of the lands upon which our members operate are governed by provincial governments. We need your support to ensure greater coherence and clarity between federal and provincial jurisdictions and certainty around access to that land base. Wood fibre is important to workers, contractors, and forestry communities. Increasing levels of duplication between federal and provincial governments inhibit our ability to attract the much-needed capital.
On market access and market development, we'd like to see a continued focus on completing trade agreements, diversifying and growing export markets, and modernizing building codes to allow for bigger and more resilient carbon-storing wood buildings that will bring benefits to our people.
The final comment I want to make is about selling Canada’s good-news story to the world. Our pulp and paper mills have reduced GHG emissions by about 70% since the early 1990s. In its most recent report on the state of Canada’s forests, Natural Resources Canada has confirmed that our managed forest is a carbon sink of 14 megatonnes. Canadian forestry has a compelling story that resonates with our global customers. Despite this Canadian advantage, our customers and investors are increasingly being targeted by anti-industry groups and misinformation campaigns to drive business away from Canada. This is putting Canadian jobs at risk in the process. We need our federal and provincial governments to stand with us so we can sustain and grow jobs, keep our northern communities safer from fire, and advance the economic and environmental benefits that Canadian forestry and forest products provide.
I want to thank you for the invitation to be here today. We look forward to getting into a bit of a discussion on these items during the Q and A.
Thanks again.