As B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar continues his tour of forest-dependent communities in southern B.C., he promised changes to the program that manages 20 per cent of the province's allowable annual cut.

The government announced in February a review of B.C. Timber Sales with support from former B.C. cabinet minister George Abbott, Vanderhoof Coun. Brian Frenkel and Lenny Joe, chief executive officer of the BC First Nations Forestry Council. The government also announced that it would double the share of B.C. Timber Sales fibre available to value-added manufacturers to 20 per cent. 

"We are going to get the most value out of our timber, out of our logs, create more job opportunities and we are going to diversify as well," Parmar said, speaking from Vernon Monday evening (March 17).

Parmar had earlier visited the Gorman Brothers' facilities in West Kelowna. He is scheduled to make an announcement in Canoe, near Salmon Arm, Tuesday afternoon. Parmar is also scheduled to stop in Kamloops, Barriere, Merritt and Clearwater. 

Parmar's tour comes amidst the threats of American tariffs, which combined with countervailing duties, could add up to 65 per cent, when all is said and done. 

"(This) is a big threat to our sector and again, it is a big threat to Americans as well," Parmar said. 

Parmar's tour takes him through parts of the province largely held by MLAs part of the Conservative Party of B.C., including the riding of Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops - North Thompson. A logging contractor and former mayor of Barriere following his election to Victoria, Stamer currently shadows Parmar's portfolio for his party.

Speaking during Question Period last month, Stamer questioned the government's handling of the forestry file in arguing that the B.C. NDP is using the tariff threat to distract from its management of the forestry file.

"B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 forest product exports make up 24 per cent of B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 total commodity exports," Stamer said, in arguing for a tax on U.S. thermal coal shipped through B.C. ports. "These tariffs would devastate an industry that has been crippled by this NDP government. To be clear, we had mills closed and communities negatively impacted before the threats of tariffs."

Stamer also used the occasion to criticize government's handling of the softwood lumber dispute. 

His critique of Parmar has continued online.

"How much learning do you need, before you're ready to act?" Stamer said in response to a post from Parmar announcing his arrival in West Kelowna. "B.C.'s forest sector is on life support, so (yeah), it is time to get (sh*t) done."

Parmar pushed back against the critique.

"Ward may know in his mind, what he needs to do, but he should go and talk to the people in his community," Parmar said. "He should go talk to British Columbians as well. He should go talk to First Nations leaders in his community..."

Criticizing the record of current Conservative Leader John Rustad when he was with the B.C. Liberals, Parmar said he would not take lessons from Conservatives, including Rustad. 

Parmar acknowleged that the forestry sector faces considerable challenges, much of them linked to the long-running softwood lumber dispute with the United States.

"We know that the inclusion of tariffs in addition to rising softwood lumber duties would just be devastating to the sector," Parmar said. That is why it is important to be on ground and learning directly from workers and others, then turning those lessons into legislative actions, he added.

"In the case of forestry, we have this long standing issue (softwood lumber) and I have made it known very clear that I'm going to fight like hell to make sure that we are fighting for the future of our forest sector and we are going to want to ensure that we strengthen our economy." 

B.C.'s case has grown stronger to some degree with a recent statement from the National Association of Home Builders in the U.S. Citing a survey of home builders, it estimates that tariffs could add some US$9,200 to the cost of a home. But these figures co-exist with a clear preference for tariffs at the highest echelon of American leadership and administrative restructuring under the auspice of the Department of Government Efficiency overseen by billionaire Elon Musk. 

"We hear that the (U.S. Department of Commerce handling trading files) is an absolute Gong Show right now with DOGE," Parmar said. "We have got lawyers down there that are telling us that people, they have been working with on this file for 20, 30 years, have been let go."