Glyphosate-based forest management in New Brunswick: regulatory context, socio-environmental health, and industry discourse

Forestry is a major economic sector in New Brunswick. For many years, forestry management practices have been subject to controversies, and different positions persist. Aerial spraying of glyphosate as part of forest management practices emerged over the last decade as a contentious issue in the province. In this chapter, we present an analysis of the narrative created by the forest industry in support of glyphosate use. We argue that premier Blain Higgs’ policy record is coherent with this narrative that reconciles the oft-heard opposition between “the environment” and “the economy” through ever-more advanced technologies such as glyphosate. The first section provides background information on glyphosate use in forest management in NB. In the second section, we discuss the regulatory context of glyphosate use. The third and fourth sections present a structural discourse analysis of a small corpus of industry discourse, mainly focused on the presentation by the company JD Irving at the 2021 public hearings held by the Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmenta Stewardship. We conclude by looking back at the Higgs government’s (in)action following the public hearings that hints at a causal link between industry discourse and government policy.