Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Ms. Lindsay, Mr. Nighbor and Mr. Samray. I really appreciate your taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us today.
Of course, COVID has caused all of us to pivot and be quite flexible and adapt to changing circumstances. We're really grateful that you were able to make some time to join our committee on such short notice today.
In my home province of B.C., it's really been a perfect storm that is impacting forestry, as you know, including from COVID-19, the fibre supply and climate change, among others. While there's been a reduction in demand for pulp and paper, we have seen growth in demand for wood as construction projects and home improvements.
The study that we're doing is looking at the economic recovery of the forestry sector. In the first hour we're really going to focus on the state of the industry, and in the second hour, more on innovation.
I really appreciated your comments earlier. You mentioned some of the challenges and opportunities for the forestry sector. I was wondering if you could speak a little bit to what role you see the federal government taking to support value addition within Canada.