Mr. Speaker, Canada's forestry and softwood lumber sectors are pillars of our economy. They should sustain thousands of jobs, fuel communities and generate billions in exports, yet under the Liberal government, these industries have been left behind.
Canada's softwood lumber production generates 20 billion board feet per year that is ready for sale. Roughly 90% of that goes directly to the United States, which remains the primary market for Canadian producers. American export access is critical to this industry's survival. The industry contributes over $21 billion annually to GDP, $87 billion in total revenues and $37 billion in exports.
The forestry sector supports over 200,000 direct jobs in 300 forest-dependent communities, more than Canada's steel, aluminum and automotive sectors combined. Despite this, the industry is shrinking. Canadian production has declined 28% since 2017.
In my riding, I recently visited the Interfor mill in Grand Forks, a vital employer for that community, yet just a month later, it indefinitely closed its doors. Do the Liberals understand what this does to a small community? The impact is devastating. Sadly, this mill is yet another example of the damage caused by the Liberals' decade-long inaction on softwood lumber.
The Liberals like to boast that their Build Canada Homes initiative will save the softwood lumber industry, but the reality is very different. Domestic homebuilding cannot replace access to our largest export market. The industry does not struggle with displaced domestic demand, but with barriers to U.S. markets, and new housing projects are years away from breaking ground because of long permitting and financing delays. The government promised to double homebuilding in 10 years, which sounds ambitious, but it represents just 1.9 billion board feet of new demand, only 3% of the North American market.
Recently, my colleague, the hon. member for Regina—Qu'Appelle, brought attention to my request for an emergency take-note debate on softwood lumber after the Prime Minister once again failed to reach an agreement during his recent visit with the U.S. President. The Liberal minister responded that he did not think it was much of an emergency, but he should tell that to the families in forestry towns like Grand Forks who have lost their jobs.
Now contrast that with the previous Conservative record. The 2006 softwood lumber agreement, signed under a Conservative government, ended the 2001 to 2006 dispute and returned $5 billion in unfairly collected duties to Canadian producers.
In 2017, Canadian lumber supplied 30% of U.S. consumption. Today, it is just 22%. Over the same period, Europe's share has more than doubled, rising from 3% to 7%. Every year without a deal means more mill closures, more layoffs and more broken communities.
After a decade of failure, how can Canadians have any faith left in the Liberal government's ability to act?