On August 7, CPA participated in the Government of Canada’s 2021 pre-budget consultation process through a formal submission to the Standing Committee on Finance. In the past, CPA has worked indirectly with various government agencies on the budget and members have benefitted from government funding programs intended to support the broader Canadian wood products industry. This is the first time the association has formally provided pre-budget consultation to advance the specific interests of the composite wood products industry.
The submission outlined the challenges facing the Canadian industry and included three recommendations for the government to consider in the 2021 budget planning:
- Encouraging direct investment in the composite wood products manufacturing sector through targeted support for capital projects and sector growth.
- Committing resources to ensure compliance with the upcoming Canadian formaldehyde regulations for imported composite wood products.
- Ensuring a stable supply of feedstocks to produce sustainable, carbon-sequestering composite wood products by ensuring that clean energy policies and programs do not incent conversion of by-products to lower value fuels.
CPA plans to communicate these recommendations to key Members of Parliament for consideration during the Committee’s pre-budget hearings this fall. See CPA 2021 Pre-budget Submission.