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The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Jobs and Families
Employment and Social Development Canada
Dear Minister Hajdu,
I am writing to request urgent action to support hundreds of forestry workers in Prince George, British Columbia, who will be put out of work at the end of this year.
Specifically, we are urgently requesting that the federal government make permanent or at least extend the Temporary Employment Insurance Measures, which are currently set to expire on October 10, 2026.
On July 14, 2026, the Canfor Corporation announced the permanent closure of its Northwood Pulp Mill in Prince George, B.C., as of the fourth quarter of 2026. This closure will put 300 Canfor employees out of work, 244 of whom are members of Unifor Local 603. At the bare minimum, these affected workers deserve access to the Temporary Employment Insurance Measures whenever they are eventually laid off.
Canada continues to face a series of related and ongoing crises, including – most recently – the U.S. tariffs and trade war. This most recent crisis arrives even as forestry workers and employers were already grappling with the effects of climate change, droughts and wildfires, insect infestations, the softwood lumber dispute, a struggling economy, high energy prices, and a wave of curtailments and closures.
Unfortunately, forestry workers, their families, and forestry dependent communities across the country are paying the price for this ongoing series of crises, and they deserve urgent support from all levels of government.
Unifor has been actively engaged in discussions about the necessary transformation of Canada’s Forestry Sector, and we continue to advocate with all levels of government to provide urgent and much-needed support and assistance to forestry workers and businesses. In addition, earlier this year, I had the privilege of being a member of the Canadian Forest Sector Transformation Task Force.
Unifor’s recommendations for the Forestry Sector:
- The federal, provincial, and municipal governments should develop a national industrial strategy that identifies the distinctive strengths and gaps of Canada’s forest sector, establishes medium and long-term development priorities as well as urgent short-term transition supports, and mobilizes all legislative and regulatory levers to achieve them. This strategy should include an inclusive steering body and provide space for the voice of workers.
- The federal government should create an industrial transformation fund to send a strong signal and restore confidence. For decades, parts of the forestry sector have suffered from chronic underinvestment, leaving some facilities in a deteriorated state and complicating the path toward renewal. However, public funding must be conditional on modernization and forward-looking investments. It cannot be used to sustain business as usual.
- All levels of government should adopt a more proactive and forward-looking approach to just transition for workers and make transition funds available immediately for workers who need urgent support. Move from a reactive (post-closure) model to a preventive approach that enables workers and communities to prepare in advance for structural changes in the sector. Workers require stabilized workplaces, and their priority is to adapt unionized workplaces in ways that preserve existing working conditions. In cases of more significant disruption, they require robust immediate support to keep people at work and comprehensive transition assistance.
As the U.S. trade war continues to unfold, workers in a variety of sectors will need to know they can count on their governments for support. The 300 workers at Canfor Northwood deserve to have access to the Temporary Employment Insurance Measures set to expire on October 10, as will other workers who will find themselves laid off through no fault of their own in the coming weeks and months.
I look forward to continuing this conversation in the coming days, and as always, I am available if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Lana Payne
National President
