Thank you to the delegation of forestry industry leaders who met me at parliament to discuss sustainable ways in which to preserve jobs and economic activity in our hardwoods and softwoods sector.

The meeting highlighted the critical needs to manage our forests so that the needs of the environment and industry can be met.

I believe this balance can and should be achieved, to help ensure that ecologies are protected and so too are the thousands of jobs that depend on sustainable forestry practices, and I look forward to further work with industry, environmentalists and governments to get that balance right.