News from the Government of Canada Network on October 28, 2021: The Canadian government issued a 5-year "Strategy for Improving the Competitiveness of the Forest Industry" (hereinafter referred to as the "Strategy") on the same day in response to a series of problems and development opportunities currently facing the domestic forest industry. , Which aims to help the Canadian forest industry maintain strong competitiveness in the face of increasingly severe challenges, thereby achieving sustainable development goals. The strategy was led by the Ministry of Natural Resources of Canada, and was supported by the Ministry of Industry Canada, the Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development of Canada, and the regional development agency-the Federal Economic Development Plan for Northern Ontario (FedNor).
The "Strategy" emphasizes that it will focus on the long-term development needs of the forest industry, and enhance the competitiveness of the forest industry from multiple aspects such as innovation and productivity. In this regard, the Minister of Industry of Canada David Emerson pointed out that breakthrough technologies obtained in related fields may change forest industry products, optimize their production processes, and reduce the negative impact of the production process on the environment. Through the introduction and implementation of the "Strategy", the Canadian government will actively promote domestic forestry companies to apply breakthrough technologies in the industry and benefit from them.
The "Strategy" puts forward that the current issues that Canadian forestry needs to solve include economic diversification of forest communities, improvement of forestry workers' skills, new markets for wood products, innovative technology development, and support for the domestic forestry industry to respond to the US-Canada softwood trade dispute. In this regard, the "Strategy" proposed a series of strategic measures to support the solution of the current challenges faced by the forestry industry, workers, and forest areas. Andy Michel, Minister of Agriculture, Agri-Food and State Minister of Canada, said that the "Strategy" will promote the development of forestry industries across Canada and enhance the economic vitality of forest regions. Because of its important position in the forest industry, northern Ontario will be the focus of the Strategy.