1. The federal, provincial, and municipal governments must come together to 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;
2. 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;
3. The federal and provincial governments must take 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.

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