RNNR meeting 13 · 2025-11-17 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee studied the forestry industry, hearing from Terry Skiffington, CEO of Kap Paper Inc., Steeve St-Gelais, President of Boisaco Inc., and Pierre Cormier and Julien Lampron of Groupe Rémabec.

Terry Skiffington described Kap Paper’s near-closure due to declining newsprint markets and the trade war, which collapsed revenue even without direct tariffs on pulp and paper. He emphasized the integrated forestry model, where sawmill residuals are essential for viability, and warned that without support, the sector faces cascading collapse. He recommended government support for a 30-month transformation to engineered wood products, aligned with federal housing strategy, and noted that biomass-based energy and biofuels need incentives to compete with fossil fuels.

Steeve St-Gelais stressed that Boisaco, a community-owned co-operative, has shifted from U.S. exports to the Canadian market due to tariffs, but faces pressure from larger exporters returning to Canada. He called for federal recognition of the sector’s importance and proposed a deposit buyback program for countervailing duties to provide liquidity without adding debt. He also advocated for promoting modular construction to address the housing crisis and for innovation support.

Pierre Cormier highlighted Groupe Rémabec’s integrated complex producing biofuel and biochar, which can decarbonize industries and sequester carbon, and noted the model can be replicated in 24 months with predictability. He urged the government to lead by example in using bioproducts in federal buildings and to maintain dialogue on species at risk and land access, including with first nations. He disagreed with perceptions that forestry harms the environment, arguing that sustainable management captures carbon and supports communities.

Julien Lampron agreed with the deposit buyback proposal as an immediate solution and stressed the need to strike on both fronts: addressing the crisis and unlocking new markets simultaneously. He supported promoting Canadian wood in construction for predictability and noted that integrated complexes are key to the future, using wood as a carbon-reducing energy source.

The committee agreed to hold a sixth meeting on the forestry study and debated a motion to invite the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources to appear on supplementary estimates, which was moved but not resolved in the transcript.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 4

Terry Skiffington

Chief Executive Officer, Kap Paper Inc.

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the standing committee, for the opportunity to appear before you today. My name is Terry Skiffington. I'm the CEO of Kap Paper, a pulp and paper mill located in Kapuskasing, in northeastern Ontario. Our mill has operated for 103 years and remains the cornerstone employer and economic engine of our region. For generations, Kap Paper has played a central role in supporting Ontario's integrated forestry model. The strength of that model comes from long-term sustainable harvesting, regeneration and silviculture, ensuring that our northern boreal forest remains a perpetual and renewable resource. For this model to function properly, every component of the forest must be used in a way that generates the highest possible value. Today, the greatest value of the boreal forest comes from solid wood products, and in our region, northeastern Ontario, the high pine and spruce content allows us to produce what is widely recognized as some of the strongest, clearest and most consistent dimensional lumber in the world. When logs are harvested and converted from round to square, roughly 65% of the volume that's harvested becomes what we call residuals: bark,…

Full testimony ↗

Steeve St-Gelais

President, Boisaco Inc.

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Honourable members of the committee, good afternoon. We are grateful to the committee for taking the time to conduct this important study on our sector. Boisaco group is a community-owned organization, belonging to some 300 co-operative workers and more than 800 citizen-investors in our community. Boisaco group's mission is to drive sustainable development through the responsible development of the woody resource, while ensuring that our community and sector thrive. In keeping with this mission, eight primary, secondary and tertiary processing companies have joined forces with Boisaco group. We operate mainly on the Haute-Côte-Nord and in the Saguenay region, in Quebec. Our industry is in a dispute with the U.S., and it's been going on for far too long. Today, the situation has escalated. As a civic-minded organization with deep roots in the community, we are asking the federal government to show foresight. It is critically important that it recognize the significance of and need for the forestry sector. To that end, the government needs a true picture of forest management as practised in Canada. Thousands of men and women have been managing and…

Pierre Cormier

Special advisor to the President, Groupe Rémabec

Opening remarks

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for having me this afternoon. My name is Pierre Cormier. I am a forest engineer and a special adviser to the president of Groupe Rémabec. With me today is Julien Lampron, first vice-president, organizational development and public affairs for Groupe Rémabec. Groupe Rémabec is one of the largest private forest producers in Quebec and one of the top 10 forestry companies in Canada. We manage our forests and remove three million cubic metres of wood a year from them. We operate mainly in three regions of Quebec: Mauricie, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and Côte-Nord. More than 2,000 families depend directly on our operations, a responsibility we take very seriously. Our group is entirely integrated, working with affiliated companies that cover the entire value chain, from harvesting trees, producing lumber and selling a variety of products to cutting logging roads and managing lumber yards. We are partners with Arbec Forest Products, and we operate seven lumber mills, representing 1% of total lumber production in North America. Groupe Rémabec is also firmly focused on the future. We know that sound forest management is a pillar of the…

Full testimony ↗