Resolute joins federal gender equity initiative for forestry

December 10, 2018
By Kristina Urquhart

December 10, 2018

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December 10, 2018 – Resolute Forest Products has joined the group developing an action plan for Canadian Institute of Forestry’s gender equity initiative for the forestry sector.

Isabel Pouliot, Resolute’s vice-president of compensation, corporate services and strategic human resources initiatives, is part of a panel of experts representing the public and private spheres, academia, Indigenous communities and not-for-profit organizations in developing a plan to engage, attract, retain and advance women in Canada’s forest products sector.

The Canadian government has committed a $467,000 investment in the project, called “Gender Equality in Forestry National Action Plan.” The goal of the project is to remove barriers that prevent or discourage women from pursuing middle-class jobs and careers in the forestry industry. These obstacles include pay equity issues and child care, unequal access to training and trades, lack of management opportunities and misconceptions about the sector in general.

Women are underrepresented at all levels within the forestry sector, the federal government says. In 2016, only 17 per cent of workers in the forestry sector were female. The project will bring women already working in different areas in the forestry sector together with industry stakeholders, NGOs, Indigenous groups, professional associations and women who are interested in working in the sector, and will develop and implement a strategic national plan to promote more opportunities for women in forestry.

Resolute says that it is committed to ensuring a diverse workforce and plans to increase the number of women and members of minority groups across its enterprise.