Legault sets off alarm bells by warning of potential forestry job losses as trade war continues

A lumber truck in Seneterre, Que., on September 8, 2021. The forestry industry represents 9.6 per cent of Quebec's exports in 2023.

Quebec Premier François Legault is warning that 30,000 forestry jobs could be lost in the province because of Canada’s trade war with the United States, an estimate equivalent to half the work force in that industry.

His comments have set off alarm bells in various Quebec regions and logging towns, many of which have economies built on forestry. The sector represented 9.6 per cent of Quebec exports by value in 2023 as well as gross domestic product of $6.4-billion, according to provincial government data.

The Premier first stated the figure in an interview with Cogeco radio journalists in Montreal late last week, during a private meeting held to bri