---
title: "NDP, Conservatives and Greens each offer a different forestry jobs plan"
description: "The United Steelworkers union and a UBC forestry professor assess what each BC provincial party is promising for the industry's workers and mills ahead of the October 24 vote."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-parties-forestry-jobs-plans-comparison-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-22T21:41:09.508Z"
---

British Columbia's three main parties each offer a different plan for the province's struggling forestry industry, and the United Steelworkers union says the best of them still does not go far enough, The Tyee reported Wednesday.

Scott Lunny, the Western Canada director of the United Steelworkers, which represents 10,000 BC forestry workers, told The Tyee he welcomed the NDP's plan but wants it to have more authority.

## What each party promises

The BC NDP has pledged $120 million over two years for forestry workers and mills at risk of closing, funding to help mills shift to new types of manufacturing, and a new task force focused on keeping mills open.

Lunny called it a positive step but said the union wants the province to restore the role of a forestry jobs protection commissioner, a position that existed in BC from 1991 until 2002. "All of those are good things and positive things for the sector," Lunny told The Tyee. "And it talks about a new task force, but I think we need something that has more teeth."

The Conservative Party of BC wants to raise the province's annual economically viable harvest from 29 million cubic metres to 45 million cubic metres. That higher ceiling is what forestry industry groups formally asked for in a September 2026 open letter to government. The Conservative plan also includes extending the province's $200-million Manufacturing Jobs Fund, cutting taxes for value-added wood manufacturers, and reducing permitting costs for mills.

The BC Green Party rejects the 45-million-cubic-metre ceiling, calls for carrying out all recommendations from the Old Growth Strategic Review, and proposes ending clearcutting, with up to 50 per cent of BC's wood fibre going to value-added production.

## What a researcher found

Gary Bull, professor emeritus of forestry at the University of British Columbia, told The Tyee he was struck by how similar the NDP and Conservative plans are. He said both are missing a clear plan to fund better forest management. On the Green platform, Bull said it mentions workers and communities but does not show a clear path to keeping a productive wood products industry running.

Lunny said the union wants all parties to commit to ensuring a reliable timber supply and to make logging rights conditional on providing forestry jobs.

Voting day is Saturday, October 24, 2026. See the latest news from the BC provincial campaign at [/bc/provincial-2026/news](/bc/provincial-2026/news).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.