WHEREAS throughout Canada governments have historically given access to our natural resources to corporations in exchange for economic and social development; AND WHEREAS this arrangement has provided many opportunities for local entrepreneurs, workers, resource communities and governments to prosper in British Columbia; AND WHEREAS today, governments are all too willing to respond to corporate demands for lower taxes and royalties and fewer commitments to communities and workers: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we urge the provincial and federal governments to enact an equivalency export tax that will discourage the export of raw and unprocessed timber and logs outside of our province; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we encourage the federal and provincial governments to provide access to our natural resources under terms that generate domestic jobs, training and investment in our communities.
Ministry of Forests Range The increased value obtained from log exports enables harvesting of more stands, which provides additional fiber to local mills and employs logging contractors. Before logs harvested from most lands in B.C. can leave the province they must be offered for sale to domestic mills. If a local buyer cant be found, the logs can be exported. A fee-in-lieu of manufacturing applies to timber that is exported from provincially regulated lands. The volume of public timber exported as logs is a fraction of the annual harvest of public timber usually less than 2.5 per cent. On October, 29, 2007, the Minister of Forests and Range announced that effective in 2008, the log export fee in the southern coastal region would be linked to the softwood lumber export tax, so that logs and lumber leaving British Columbia are subject to an equivalent export charge.
Minister of Natural Resources The Government of Canada recognizes the vital importance of the natural resource sectors to hundreds of communities across Canada. In this regard, we strongly support responsible resource development that maximizes economic opportunities for local residents while adequately addressing environmental and social impacts. Our government also understands the cyclical nature of the resource sectors and has committed to support Canadas traditional industries in the recent Speech from the Throne. The design and implementation of this support will require close collaboration with provincial, territorial and municipal governments to find innovative solutions that stabilize our communities and position the resource sectors for long-term success.