Our local lumber industry has been hit hard in the absence of a Softwood Lumber Agreement, by the Liberal Carbon Taxes, and tariffs will only make matters worse. After ten years of the Liberal Government failing to secure a softwood lumber deal with the US, fewer jobs are available in the working forest.
One local mill had paid nearly $300,000 in Carbon Taxes but only received a $50,000 rebate because the rebate was based on the number of employees instead of actual costs. The lion’s share of the money went to big outfits. The additional costs are passed onto consumers. A trade war will have a devastating impact on our local lumber industry. Many of the parts for logging and sawmill machinery are manufactured in the United States. That means repairs will cost 25% more. New tariffs on top of the existing unfair U.S. tariffs will force the closure of some operators.
While our local mills and plants seek new markets in India and Pakistan, the best action for the government to take is to reduce taxes overall so more homes for Canadians are built.
Only Canada First Conservatives have a real plan to spark a home building boom. We’ll cut red-tape and taxes on homebuilding. We will build the homes and protect local lumber jobs.