Premier David Eby says his discussion with Prime Minister Mark Carney was “productive,” with the pair focusing on what Eby has called a “direct attack” on the forest industry by U-S President Donald Trump in the form of escalating softwood lumber tariffs.

Eby issued a statement saying he and Carney spoke about building more housing with mass timber, and the province welcomes the opportunity to meet the growing domestic and international demand for value-added wood products. “The prime minister and I spoke about building more housing with BC mass timber. At a time when Canadian forestry exports are facing an escalation in an ongoing trade war, we welcome an opportunity to meet the growing domestic and international demand for value-added wood products.”

The meeting between Eby and Carney came after the U-S Department of Commerce announced a plan Friday to raise the duties on Canadian lumber to 34.45%, more than double the current levy. “The American president’s renewed assault on our forestry sector needs the same Team Canada response as the manufacturing and auto industry jobs in Ontario and Quebec. The prime minister confirmed his understanding of the seriousness of the softwood issue and his commitment to work with us to address it proactively. The Team Canada approach is one B.C. supports, and it is our expectation other provinces will support us, too.”

“No matter the result of the federal election, we need a federal government that is ready to help address bottlenecks in our transportation corridor to get our goods to market, as well as expand training to build a highly skilled workforce. Any successful trade diversification strategy for Canada hinges on our success as a province. I feel the prime minister is fully engaged on these critical issues.”