Unifor is Canada’s largest…

Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better Canada.

Unifor represents approximately 24,000 members in the forestry sector across Canada, working for 130 different employers in more than 280 bargaining units. More than 4,000 of those forestry sector members work in Ontario.

In August 2017, Unifor’s Forestry Industry Council and Research Department released our forestry sector policy, titled The Future of Forestry: A workers’ perspective for successful, sustainable and just forestry. In this policy paper, we argue that the forestry sector requires a holistic approach that balances a number of critical criteria.

A successful, sustainable and just forestry sector cannot be about picking and choosing some principles, but not others. In our view, we must succeed on all principles together. While different principles are separated from each other to help our understanding and action, all of the elements must be seen as a whole. We cannot have good trade policy for example, but fail to invest in the industry. We cannot prioritize reconciliation with Indigenous communities, without sustainable forestry practices. We cannot hope to sustain and grow good employment without sustained dialogue. All principles need to be met at once.

Our policy paper details six fundamental principles that must guide all stakeholders as we work together to build a more successful, sustainable and just forestry sector:

• Prioritizing reconciliation with Indigenous communities
• True sustainability at home and around the world
• A leading role for public investment
• Fair trade and higher global standards
• A source of good jobs and maximum skills development
• A National Forestry Council for sustained dialogue
In terms of our commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous communities, we believe all stakeholders in the forestry sector – including the provincial government – must continue to partner with Indigenous organizations, communities and First Nations councils/governments to advocate for the implementation of the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliations Commission.

In the spirit of true partnership, we believe in the need for active, on-going outreach to Indigenous organizations to discuss perspectives, shared interests and potential areas of collaboration in the forestry sector. Finally, we believe it is essential to be an active partner with forestry sector employers and local Indigenous representatives to develop and implement Indigenous employment and apprenticeship initiatives.

Regarding sustainability at home and around the world, Unifor believes all forestry industry stakeholders must continue to participate in provincial, territorial and federal forestry management policy development with a view towards achieving even higher standards. Our policy paper also underlines the need to focus renewed attention on issues of wood waste in logging, working with provincial forestry management regulators to achieve stronger enforcement, and with our employers to minimize wood waste other than non-usable by-products.

In addition, we believe it is imperative to support the development of new and innovative technologies by industry – supported by appropriate public funding – to bring sustainable and renewable forestry products into new applications, from advanced construction, to new materials and processes. Also, we support initiatives to modernize building codes to reflect advances in wood construction, allowing for taller and larger buildings with higher wood content.

Another fundamental principle highlighted in our policy paper is the critical role public investment must play in supporting and driving the sector. We support the significant expansion of funding and scope for the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program. In addition, we argue that it makes sense to apportion a share of public revenues raised through carbon taxes toward investments in forestry industry innovation. Unifor also supports significant public investment by all levels of government in the use of new wood building technologies in public buildings and infrastructure. Finally, in order to ensure that more voices are included in policy and legislative development, we argue for representation and stronger stakeholder engagement for workers at meetings of the Canadian Council of Forestry Ministers.

Unifor’s forestry sector policy also emphasizes the need to focus on fair trade and higher global standards. While some aspects of this principle might fall outside the purview of the provincial government, we believe all stakeholders must advocate together for a more successful, sustainable and just forestry sector. We must continue to work with global union and forestry community organizations to raise standards among the most vulnerable and to end Illegal logging. Unifor also argues for the need to support the expansion of independent third-party certification globally.

We also support a ban on all exports of raw logs from Canada’s old-growth forests, and imposing progressively higher taxes on log exports from second-growth forests.

In terms of our most important trading relationship, the forestry sector must advocate strongly against any unfair U.S. duties on Canadian wood and other products produced with wood fibre; and ensure Canada pursues a renewed fair, bilateral agreement governing cross-border trade in softwood lumber with the United States. Unifor also supports the adoption of policies to mitigate the impact of any U.S.-imposed duties, through federal and provincial loan guarantees. Additionally, it is critical that governments pursue thorough consultations with stakeholders in negotiations concerning softwood lumber trade with the U.S. Finally, we believe that federal assistance must be focused on workers and communities, and that repayment of duties is invested back into local economies.

In our policy paper, we also argue that the forestry sector must be a source of good jobs and maximum skills development. All forestry industry stakeholders should work together to advance a positive vision of the future of forestry among students, young workers, and the general public. In terms of promoting equity and inclusion, unions, governments and employers should work to advance employment opportunities for underrepresented groups in the forestry sector, including women and Indigenous workers. Our policy paper also argues for the need to significantly expand funding for forestry-related education, skills training and apprenticeship programs. Finally, Unifor believes in the direct relationship between good jobs and union membership, and we continue to advocate for the modernization of labour laws to help forestry workers build and retain good jobs that sustain their families and communities.

Our final recommendation, based on a fundamental principle of the need for sustained dialogue in the forestry sector, is the reinstatement of a National Forestry Council. The provincial government should join other forestry sector stakeholders in Ontario in advocating for a National Forestry Council that is appropriately mandated and resourced for broad, meaningful and ongoing stakeholder engagement. The Council should be structured with appropriate representation of workers and their trade unions, and reflect proportionate forestry industry membership.

Based on this summary of the fundamental principles and recommendations that form the foundation of Unifor Forestry Sector Policy, we would like provide some general feedback on Ontario’s draft Forest Sector Strategy:

• While the draft Strategy makes repeated mention of the labour shortage facing the forestry sector, we believe more analysis is required to identify some of the dynamics driving this shortage and inform potential solutions.

For example, the issue of job quality – including compensation, benefits, job security, union coverage, and workplace health and safety – should surely factor into a complete analysis of the problem.

• Unifor is concerned by the absence of the perspectives, voices and expertise of forestry workers and their unions. On several occasions, the draft Strategy lists forestry sector stakeholders, but workers and unions are noticeably absent.

• Specifically, we believe that the proposed Forest Sector Strategy Advisory Committee should include representation from forestry workers and their unions.

• Technological change has been a part of the forestry sector for decades, and Unifor has been developing a comprehensive plan to embrace technological change in order to maximize the benefits – but minimize the harms – that come with the increasing use of automation, AI, and other technologies. We are concerned that, without the right approach in mind, the promotion of increased automation in the sector could create downward pressure on job quality. This connects with the point raised above regarding labour shortages.

• While we are generally supportive of the idea of promoting an innovative and increasingly productive sector, we are concerned about the emphasis on “lowering costs,” especially when it comes to the so-called “regulatory burden.” Unifor would not be supportive of regulatory or legislative changes that would weaken much-needed environmental, labour, and health and safety regulations.
There are several aspects of the draft Forest Sector Strategy that we support in principle, though the devil is in the details in terms of implementation. We are encouraged to read that, “Ontario is committed to continuing to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships and partnerships with Indigenous communities across the province.” In addition, we support the commitment to increase Indigenous participation in the forest sector.

We are also encouraged by the draft Strategy’s identification of the need to grow talent in the forest sector in order to address chronic labour shortages. However, the draft Strategy says on this subject, “[a]ddressing this challenge requires collaborative efforts by associations, industry, Indigenous organizations, Ontario and the federal government.” We would once again like to point out that the voices and experience of workers and their labour unions should be included in this list of stakeholders.