Canada-Quebec Forestry Task Team
Alma, Quebec, July 3, 2009 – The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, today joined Serge Simard, Ministre délégué aux Ressources naturelles et à la Faune du Québec and Ministre responsable de la région du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, acting on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier of Quebec, Ministre des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, and Ministre responsable du Plan Nord, in announcing the immediate launch this summer of silvicultural operations and multi-use road improvements in response to the challenges facing the Quebec forest sector.
$30 million for the restoration of bridges and culverts on Quebec public lands
The governments of Canada and Quebec will invest $30 million for the repair and restoration of bridges and culverts on multi-use roads in wildlife territories of Quebec which have been damaged by weathering and severe storms.
These funds, managed in partnership with the regions, will serve to improve access to sectors of interest on public lands in order to support economic development arising from natural resource and land development, while also contributing to the creation and maintenance of some 250 jobs.
$4.7 million for a wood products traceability program
The two levels of government will invest $4.7 million over three years in a project to promote the establishment of traceability chains in the wood products industry. This system will enable enterprises to keep track of the various certification standards, confirm compliance with phytosanitary standards (to avoid propagation of quarantined organisms) and meet the growing demands and requirements of their clients. This pilot program, administered by the Quebec World Export Bureau–Q-Web, will allow participating enterprises to receive customized training and coaching services as they undertake the process to establish a traceability chain for their products.
“Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, our government is taking unprecedented measures to come to the assistance of communities affected by the current crisis, notably by implementing the Community Adjustment Fund. Our investments are meant to do more than just get the economy back on track; we are working to make the forest industry stronger than ever so that it can generate more and better jobs,” stated the Honourable Denis Lebel.
“These investments confirm our government’s commitment to supporting communities by helping create and maintain jobs for forestry workers. These efforts will serve to promote greater access to government-owned forest lands. The funds allocated for the establishment of wood product traceability chains will allow Quebec enterprises to gain access to leading-edge expertise so that they can meet the new demands of wood product importers,” explained Minister Normandeau.
“I welcome today’s announcement on behalf of all of the users of Quebec’s multi-resource roads in wildlife territories. These investments will help further economic growth, in regions such as ours, by improving the safety of these roads and thereby facilitating access to our territories various resources,” added Minister Simard.
$200 million for six agreements
On May 15, six agreements were announced as part of the $200 million in assistance measures (see Regional Impacts backgrounder) resulting from the recommendations of the Canada-Quebec Forestry Task Team. These measures are intended to help forestry workers and communities overcome the difficult situation in the sector. Projects carried out within the framework of these agreements will have to be the subject of local consensus.
The Canada-Quebec Forestry Task Team is made up of senior officials from Natural Resources Canada, the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Service Canada, the Business Development Bank of Canada, Export Development Canada and Quebec’s Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune, Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation and Investissement Québec.
The Canada-Quebec Forestry Task Team established six priority areas for addressing the pressing needs of workers and communities in this sector: 1) forest management and silviculture; 2) supporting forest workers and communities; 3) access to credit; 4) technology and innovation; 5) value-added manufacturing; and 6) market development for wood products.
The initiatives announced today complement other investments recently announced by the Government of Canada in the forestry sector, including $1 billion for the Pulp and Paper Green Transformation Program to improve the industry’s environmental performance and US$42.1 million in working capital funding from Export Development Canada to support Abitibi-Bowater’s restructuring efforts.
For further details on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, see www.actionplan.gc.ca.
-30-
Sources:
Mélanie Fortier
Communications Advisor
Office of the Deputy Premier and Ministre des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune and Ministre responsable du Plan Nord
Tel.: 418-643-7295
Media Relations
Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec
Tel.: 418-627-8609
Stéphanie Desforges
Senior Special Assistant, Communications
Office of the Honourable Denis Lebel
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 514-496-1282
E-mail: stephanie.desforges@dec-ced.gc.ca
Media Relations
Canada Economic Development
Tel.: 514-283-8818
