October 20, 2025
Parteek Singh Mahal
In the face of crippling U.S. tariffs and production curtailments hitting B.C.’s softwood lumber sector, minister of forests Ravi Parmar has announced that province is going to open an office in UK as a key component of the international market diversification strategy.
During an interview with RED FM, the minister confirmed that the office is part of a broader push to “rebuild those relationships” in markets outside of North America, following up on a decades-old trade foundation that also included North Africa and the Middle East. Parmar’s remarks highlighted the critical need for new markets to counter a U.S. tariff environment that makes B.C. lumber “too expensive to operate.”
Parmar acknowledged the “very challenging time at forestry,” with local operations already facing curtailments in the wake of escalating U.S. tariffs, which he stated now stand at approximately 45% for many B.C. operators.
“Right now, economics is not going to work. It is too expensive to operate with 45% tax, so we have to diversify,” Parmar said, underscoring the urgency of finding new international buyers for B.C. lumber.
The cornerstone of the diversification strategy, the Minister revealed, is a push to re-establish and build new relationships with international markets.
Minister Parmar highlighted the appointment of Rick Doman as the chair of diversification and announced that a UK office is set to open very soon. This move aims to resurrect historical trade ties, as the Minister noted the sector had strong business relationships with the UK, North Africa, and the Middle East in the 1980s and 1990s—relationships that diminished after 2006.
“I’m going back to rebuild that relationship. To rebuild those relationships. Rick will visit UK in December, and I will visit Uk early next year,” Parmar affirmed.
Further demonstrating the province’s commitment to diversification, he confirmed an upcoming visit next month to Japan and South Korea, calling these “very important relationships” that have the power to change and form new economic realities for the sector.
Parmar also talked about the delay in releasing $1.2 billion in funding promised by Ottawa for the softwood lumber industry. He asked “When is this money going to show up?” He stated his hope that “very soon means today or tomorrow,” citing indefinite curtailments at operations like Grand Forks and two-week curtailments near Kamloops.
“We have permits to speed through to ensure harvesting is a challenge,” he acknowledged, while emphasizing the provincial commitment to ensuring “every raw log has the opportunity to be processed,” and fighting for the paychecks of forestry workers.
Minister Parmar concluded with a rallying cry to local federal politicians, urging Liberal MPs to carry the message back to Ottawa that B.C. forestry workers and their paychecks “matter just as much as Ontario workers.”
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