Kim Haakstad - Trees, Tariffs & Trade Wars

The Canada-U.S. trade war is now going full tilt, and Kim Haakstad is on the front line. She is the President of the B.C. Council of Forest Industries and one of the most powerful people in Canada’s resource sector. For the past 30 years, Haakstad has worked tirelessly in advocating for economic growth in western Canada, and there’s never been a dull moment.She has spent much of her time in Washington D.C. over the summer in representing the forestry sector in supporting Canada’s negotiating team in trying to hammer out a trade deal with its biggest customer - the USA and President Donald Trump.Haakstad tells Christy that while U.S. trade and tariff threats are her top concern, there’s a lot more Canada can be doing to help resource industries succeed, including sensible regulation and conservation policy.The Christy Clark Showthechristyclarkshow.comInstagraminstagram.com/christyclarkbc Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-christy-clark-show/ Inquiries info@thechristyclarkshow.comTimestamps00:00 - Opening on the Canada-US trade war and why forestry is the long-running flashpoint01:01 - Kim Haakstad’s role leading Canada’s forest sector advocacy03:37 - Why softwood lumber keeps getting pulled into trade disputes04:45 - The “we don’t need Canadian lumber” argument and its real-world costs06:08 - Why Canadian and US lumber products are not direct substitutes07:39 - The Crown land subsidy claim and how Canada and the US define forestry ownership differently09:08 - Why the dispute keeps resurfacing even when the rules change10:19 - Section 232 tariffs and how forestry got treated as a national security issue11:20 - The new Section 338 tariffs and the jump to 50% and even 85% effective rates13:45 - How tariffs add about $11,000 per home and worsen housing affordability14:26 - Why American lawmakers are focused on affordability and housing costs15:41 - Forestry as Canada’s largest directly affected employer in this trade fight17:23 - What happens to a small town when a mill slows down or closes18:22 - What a curtailment means for workers and families20:26 - Why pulp mills and chip supply are still central to community survival22:09 - Forestry as the foundation of housing, packaging, and everyday consumer products24:24 - Average forestry wages and why these jobs pay so well26:15 - First Nations ownership and management changing the politics of forestry28:34 - The shifting public mood toward natural resource industries30:02 - Kim’s Washington, DC experience as tariffs escalated mid-negotiation31:29 - Why Canada may be better off with no deal than a bad deal32:47 - Market diversification beyond the United States, especially in Asia34:19 - Permitting delays in BC and the long timeline to approve forestry cuts35:22 - How regulatory change over the past decade has created unintended consequences36:21 - Conservation areas, wildfire mitigation, and protecting the timber harvesting land base37:17 - The growing complexity of the permitting system for a single cut block38:15 - BC versus Alberta: allowable cut, competitive pressure, and sector growth39:20 - Why companies are cutting below allowable levels because the economics and permits do not work41:22 - BC’s gap between the 60 million cubic meter allowable cut and the 30 million actually harvested43:01 - Importing pulp logs and chips because domestic supply is not available at a workable price44:44 - Why BC and Canada should be managing forestry for growth, not decline