The provincial government stated that the model of collaborating with the federal government and the industry to develop markets has been very successful, especially after focusing on the Chinese market in 2003, where softwood exports from British Columbia to China increased nearly twentyfold, reaching CAD 1.4 billion by 2013. The provincial government hopes that this allocation will trigger additional investments from the federal government and the industry, thereby enhancing efforts to develop overseas markets.
The Minister of WorldWay, Teresa Wat, stated that collaborating with the industry to develop the Asian market is one of the provincial government's top priorities, and taxpayers can rest assured that this money is well spent, as it can stimulate investments from the federal government and industry organizations.
The Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, Steve Thomson, believes that developing international markets can allow sawmills across British Columbia to continue operating, protecting tens of thousands of jobs, and this allocation can ensure British Columbia's leadership position in the global market.
British Columbia's economy relies 40% on the forestry industry, with softwood exports reaching CAD 5.3 billion in 2013.
