Paper Trail to Nowhere: Part 1 – Domtar’s lobbying strategies in Canada between 2020 and 2024
Paper Trail to Nowhere: Part 2 – Domtar’s lobbying strategies in British Columbia between 2020 and 2024
A two-part investigative report released today by Greenpeace Canada reveals that Domtar, the largest pulp and paper company to ever operate in Canada, has been receiving significant amounts of public funds from the government while expanding corporate control on the forestry industry with limited transparency and accountability. Domtar’s operations cover 22 million hectares of forest across Canada, or almost 10% of all managed forest land across the country.
The company, formerly known as Paper Excellence, was previously investigated in a 2022 report by Greenpeace Canada and partner organizations, which exposed its complex ownership structure, including links to Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) and the larger Sinar Mas Group — companies with a documented track record of environmental and human rights violations. This led to hearings with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources (RNNR) to which Wijaya failed to appear and participate to clarify his company’s activities.
The findings from Greenpeace Canada’s latest two-part investigative report on Domtar, ‘Paper Trail to Nowhere’, reveal that following expanded lobbying efforts, Domtar received more than $200M in public funding between 2020 and 2024 from both federal and provincial governments. This report explores the company’s lobbying strategies at both the federal and provincial levels, with a particular focus on British Columbia, where Domtar was formerly headquartered.
The report provides a detailed breakdown of these public funds and raises serious questions and concerns about whether they have meaningfully advanced its stated goals of expansion, innovation and sustainability. It highlights persistent gaps in transparency and accountability, as well as the company’s opaque corporate governance structure.
The research also provides recommendations for public accountability measures, including calling on Jackson Wijaya — Domtar’s sole owner, who also took full control of Asia Pulp & Paper in 2024 — to fully cooperate and appear in front of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources, to clarify Domtar’s ownership, governance and long-term corporate intentions for Canada’s forests and the forest industry.
The report also reiterates the urgent need for Canada to enshrine the commitments as a signatory of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity made under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity (GBF) Framework in national legislation. These measures would strengthen nature protection, support local job creation and uphold the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities to their lands and waters.
Research methodology included an analysis of publicly available federal and provincial corporate lobbying registrations, documents and other official filings in Canada between 2020 and 2024. To identify communications, targets and registrations disclosed by Domtar lobbyists, Greenpeace Canada first compiled a list of known Domtar subsidiaries (Domtar, Resolute Forest Products, Catalyst, Northern Pulp and Paper Excellence) and independent mills under its control. These communications were then manually cross-referenced with a list of all organization names found disclosed in the lobbyist registrations.
To calculate the total amount of public funding received, Greenpeace Canada created datasets from disclosed amounts in federal and provincial lobbying registration information, accounted for reporting discrepancies and estimated minimum and maximum funding amounts that may have been received by the company.
Of Domtar’s 16 major pulp and paper mills across Canada, currently only 11 (or approximately two-thirds) remain active, including major sites in Windsor (QC), Saint-Félicien (QC), Port Alberni (B.C.) and Meadow Lake (SK). In December 2025, Domtar announced that its Crofton mill in B.C. would be closing in early 2026, affecting 350 employees. The company has cited numerous factors, from energy costs to supply chain pressures. However, the scale of mill closures raises questions as to whether investments in their work are delivering viable returns and benefits for Canadian taxpayers and the future of forests in Canada.
The executive summary is available here.
An interactive summary of the reports is available here.
Expose the logging giant taking over forests across Canada.
