VICTORIA, B.C.: The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia’s forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries.

Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities.

“If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should take a look in the mirror. Permitting delays, rising costs, and shrinking fibre access have been growing threats to B.C.’s forest industry, but Minister Parmar has ignored them.”

The NDP blaming others for their own mismanagement is a common pattern. No matter the issue or failure, they are always quick with excuses.

  • Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth Ravi Kahlon and Minister of Energy Adrian Dix blame the price of gas on the war in Iran despite excessive taxes giving B.C. the highest gas prices of any province.
  • Minister of Health Josie Osborne blames emergency room closures on the previous government, despite the NDP having been in power for almost a decade.
  • Minister Osborne has the same excuse for B.C.’s lack of long-term care beds and lack of rural doctors.
  • Attorney General Niki Sharma blames the courts for misinterpreting the intention of UNDRIP, when their interpretation act on DRIPA was forced through with less than 15 minutes of debate.
  • Former Minister of Health Adrian Dix also blamed the doctor shortage on the previous government, when if any former government was responsible, it was the NDP government of the 1990s, which cut access to medical school seats for family physicians and prohibited international physicians and medical school students from practicing in B.C.
  • Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma blames the cancellation of seven long-term care projects on the cost of building, despite NDP policies being responsible for those cost increases.
  • Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey blames her disastrous 2026 budget on the war in Iran, despite years of the NDP’s reckless spending resulting in the worst budget in B.C.’s history.
  • Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth blames the federal government for failures on transit and BC Ferries, despite these being the responsibility of the provincial government.
  • Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Christine Boyle blames development charges on the federal government, despite the real barriers to development being the NDP’s excessive regulatory burdens and unnecessary costs.
  • Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Kelly Greene blames the federal government for neglecting flood mitigation meetings despite a lack of provincial action after two major floods in five years.
  • Premier David Eby blames the extortion crisis on legal loopholes, despite failing to equip police with the necessary resources to crack down on the gangs.

To get this province back on track, the government needs to stop blaming others, take some accountability, and get to work.

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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948