Mr. Chair, I am sharing my time with my colleague for Miramichi—Grand Lake.
I rise today to address an issue of profound urgency, an issue that strikes at the heart of countless communities across B.C., our nation and my riding: the crisis facing Canada's forestry sector.
For more than a decade, this vital industry has been neglected by the government. Now, we find our ourselves on the brink of disaster. The recent decision by the United States to impose a 45% tariff on our softwood lumber exports is a direct threat to the livelihoods and stability of small towns that have relied on forestry for generations.
It is important for every member of the House to fully grasp the consequences of this crisis. We cannot sit by and do nothing. Many of the negotiations that have occurred concerning tariffs between the U.S. and Canada have barely mentioned softwood lumber. Forestry is a backbone for so many rural communities. I have been touring my riding, from Princeton to Grand Forks to Castlegar. Our forestry businesses are suffering, and our people are suffering.
In many small towns, the local mill can be the largest employer, and generations of families have relied on these well-paying stable jobs to build a future, raise their children and contribute to the local economy. When a mill shuts down or scales back its operations, the impact ripples through every corner of the community. It is hard for those who live in an urban area to understand that retraining is not an option for most when a mill shuts down and jobs are lost in a rural town. What is the only option for many is leaving that town.
Two mills in my riding have closed completely in the past decade, but others have and are scaling back tremendously as we speak. In Grand Forks, which had a recent mill shut down and then another just in the last couple of weeks go to one shift, it has left families scrambling. I met a young couple who had moved to the town just a few years ago. They bought a home, put down roots and felt hopeful about a fresh start in a community they were proud to join. The husband got laid off with the recent closure, and now they are facing the harsh reality that without work they might not be able to pay their mortgage and keep their home. They told me they were agonizing over whether to uproot their family and their children once again, this time heading north in a desperate hope of finding new employment, or staying to see if the tariffs may be lifted and the jobs might come back again.
These losses extend far beyond mill workers and contractors. When a mill shuts down, it affects the entire local economy. The grocery store feels it, as do the hardware store, the restaurants, the cafes, the gas stations and volunteer organizations. Schools lose families. A mill closure is not just a business shutting down; it is a slow hollowing out of an entire town. Our forestry communities need a federal government that will stand up for them and champion the value of Canadian wood products. The people I met are not asking for handouts; they want their jobs back. They want to work.
The current situation demands urgent action, not a Prime Minister who says, “Who cares?” If we fail to act now, more communities will face the same devastation; more families will be forced to leave towns they love, and more businesses will close their doors. We do not need ghost towns. I stand here today because people affected by this crisis deserve to have their voices heard in this chamber. They deserve leadership and meaningful solutions. We owe them nothing less.