Nature and wildlife are in dire shape both globally and in Canada. [1, 2] With around 350 million hectares of forests overall, Canada is the third most forested country on Earth. [3] But our forests are at the forefront of our nature crisis; they are in deep trouble, with collapsing caribou populations, growing carbon emissions and worsening wildfires. [4, 5, 6, 7]
In the middle of this nature crisis, a corporate giant is taking over our forests while operating in the shadows. Paper Excellence has recently become the largest logging company in Canada, now managing 22 million hectares of forest land across the country — that’s nearly twice the size of the island of Newfoundland. [8, 9] And there's more to this corporate actor than meets the eye. Hidden behind a shroud of secrecy, Paper Excellence has ties to a global conglomerate known for destroying forests worldwide and conflicts with Indigenous communities: Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). Now, it's quickly taking over our forests [10].
Although this corporation’s shady ties and questionable intentions are being brought to light [10, 11], it continues to avoid accountability. Paper Excellence’s sole owner, Jackson Wijaya, has failed to appear before the House of Commons when confronted. [12] Adding fuel to fire, Paper Excellence has swiftly been moving ahead with its buying spree across Canada, completing its latest takeover while the House of Commons was on break.
Our goal is clear: to force Paper Excellence and its sole owner into the light and to get answers. We call upon the sole owner of Paper Excellence, Jackson Wijaya, to step forward and face questioning before the House of Commons Committee. People in Canada deserve to know who is profiting off the destruction of our forests; Paper Excellence needs to be held accountable.
Join us and take action: call out this shady corporate logging villain taking over our forests.
Sources:
[1] More than 2,000 wild species face a high risk of being wiped out in Canada, report warns | CBC News
[2] How did IPBES Estimate '1 Million Species At Risk of Extinction' in #GlobalAssessment Report
[3] Ten countries with most forest area 2020 | Statista
[4] Quebec plan to help caribou won't save the species, biologists and experts warn | CBC News
[8] Natural Resources committee refuses to summon Paper Excellence's Wijaya - Halifax Examiner
[9] MapFight - Newfoundland Island (Canada) size comparison
[11] Who's behind Canada's new pulp-and-paper powerhouse, and where's the money coming from? | CBC News
[12] Pulp giant Paper Excellence's secretive owner could face parliamentary summons | CBC News
supporter has signed supporters have signed
needed to reach
.png)
