Vancouver, BC – The BC Council of Forest Industries (COFI) is pleased to welcome Ambassador David MacNaughton to its annual convention to be held in Prince George from April 4 to 6, 2018. The Ambassador will provide the keynote luncheon address on Thursday April 5th.
“With NAFTA discussions underway, and the softwood lumber dispute in litigation, Ambassador MacNaughton’s participation at the COFI convention comes at a critical time in trade relations between Canada and the United States,” said Susan Yurkovich, COFI President and CEO. “British Columbians, the forest sector, workers and communities have a lot at stake in the trading relationship with the U.S., and we look forward to hearing Ambassador MacNaughton’s insight into what lies ahead.”
David MacNaughton was appointed Canada’s Ambassador to the U.S. in March 2016. Working closely with Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, the Ambassador has been integrally involved in representing Canada’s interests on softwood lumber and in NAFTA negotiations. The U.S. continues to be British Columbia’s most important trading partner for our high-quality lumber products with more than half of the province’s lumber shipments going to the U.S., valued at $4.3 billion in 2017 alone.
“B.C.’s forest industry is critically important to families and communities across B.C. with 140 communities depending on the forestry through their mills, manufacturing facilities, forestry and logging operations,” added Yurkovich. “Forestry generates one out of every 17 jobs in the province, making it one of B.C.’s largest employers at more than 140,000 total jobs that generate $8.6 billion in wages to workers.”
This year, the COFI Annual Convention returns to the heart of the Canadian forest industry, at the Prince George Conference and Civic Centre in Prince George, B.C. To register, or for more information about other speakers and the convention program, please visit www.cofi.org/convention/2018-convention.
The BC Council of Forest Industries is the voice of the B.C. interior forest industry. COFI members produce lumber, pulp and paper, panels and engineered wood products at more than 60 facilities across the interior. All share a commitment to a future based on employee safety, sustainable forestry and manufacturing practices, and innovative product development.
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Contact:
Mina Laudan
778.990.701
laudan@cofi.org