OTTAWA, ON, June 3, 2026 /CNW/ - The federal government's forestry sector task force proposals, released today, provide a clear road map to re-build the sector and create good jobs, says Unifor. The union urges immediate action to implement the recommendations.

"There is no time to waste. Workers, employers, and First Nations are ready to get to work on fixing Canada's forestry sector. We encourage the federal government and provincial partners to begin immediate action on proposals that will remake a world-class forestry supply chain that puts Canadian jobs first," said Unifor National President Lana Payne, who sat as the worker representative on the task force.

The Canadian Forestry Sector Transformation Task Force was announced in December 2025 by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson to seek input and examine the challenges facing forestry and make concrete recommendations for reviving the industry, which has suffered for years under raw log export disputes with the U.S. and made worse by the Trump trade war.

Some of the key proposals in the report include a call for a sweeping industrial strategy to guide future policy. Unifor has long-criticized the lack of coordinated planning that has led to a longstanding piecemeal and patchwork approach.

The report also outlines ideas for a fund that could aid in transforming the structure of the whole industry, aligned with the national industrial strategy described above. In other words, the financing to help back up the plan.

Unifor hailed the inclusion of a proposal to preventatively address workforce transition, that would ensure that workers receive support to endure employment disruptions caused by transformation efforts.

"It is a rare thing to see a consensus from the various interests represented on the task force, so their unification around a single report must serve as a call to action for every level of government," said Unifor Quebec Director Daniel Cloutier. "We're going to be pushing governments hard to make this a turning point in Canadian forestry sector history."

SOURCE Unifor