These were the words that Domtar President and Chief Executive Officer used to begin his presentation of the brief filed by this company with the National Assembly committee studying Bill 136, An Act to Amend the Forest Act and Other Legislative Provisions.

"A Quebec-based company and a North American leader, Domtar proactively works to improve its policies and practices, which, by in large, meet the objectives of Bill 136," noted Mr. Royer.

Monsieur Royer also observed that "Bill 136 has provided us with an excellent opportunity for developing an integrated resource management policy applicable to both public and private forests and mandating its implementation to a single entity that will oversee forest land management according to the interests of all users and the Québec public."

Monsieur Royer advocated a dynamic forest management approach based on annually updating five-year plans. The main merit of this approach resides in the fact that the public and various stakeholders are involved in developing plans on an ongoing rather than a one-time basis. It keeps the parties in constant contact with one another and makes for a more effective consultation process. It strengthens understanding of the issues involved and ensure continual improvement of performances.

"Domtar intends to go forward with implementing a process designed to involve a number of stakeholders in its management plans, beginning with the forthcoming reviews of the company's five-year plans. "We are so convinced of the value of continuously sharing information that we will give forest users and the public alike access to our management plans in Abitibi via the Internet," announced the President-CEO.

For the senior officer at Domtar, Bill 136 also provides the industry with an excellent opportunity to put its relationships with Aboriginal communities on firmer footing: "Domtar aims at much more than 'good neighbourly relations.' We are in fact striving to establish a genuine business partnership with these communities, so that they may benefit from forestry activities and offer forward-looking prospects to their young people and coming generations, such as the Nabakatuk sawmill that we own jointly with the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi," Mr. Royer pointed out.

Mr. Royer also declared that Domtar supports establishing a Fund financed using current stumpage fees with the objective of stimulating additional harmonization measures and any employment development projects in the forest sector. The President and CEO also announced that "Domtar is willing to share the available forest resource, share the revenues generated by fibre processing and transfer its technical knowledge."

Domtar Inc. is Canada's largest producer of specialty and fine papers and is ranked seventh in North America. A leading producer of forest products in Eastern Canada, Domtar also owns 50% of Norampac inc., the largest Canadian producer of containerboard and corrugated containers. Domtar has annual sales of close to $4 billion, mostly in the United States, and counts on 9,000 employees across North America.

Domtar

Domtar

Domtar is the largest manufacturer of uncoated freesheet papers in North America. Domtar's EarthChoice® product line is the most extensive selection of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified business and printing papers available in North America. EarthChoice® products can help communicate your message of corporate responsibility and concern for the environment.

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