MPs call on owner of pulp and paper firm to testify on links to controversial company

Parliament's Natural Resources committee voted unanimously Monday to call on Paper Excellence owner Jackson Wijaya to testify, following news that he is assuming sole control of controversial pulp and paper giant Asia Pulp and Paper from his father.

New Democrat MP Charlie Angus said he wants the committee to hear from Wijaya as well as Canadian government officials who said there was no connection between Asia Pulp and Paper and Paper Excellence, which was recently rebranded as Domtar.

"Asia Pulp and Paper has a notorious environmental track record," Angus told the committee. "I don't think anyone would have opened the door to Asia Pulp and Paper coming in, or the Wijaya family coming in, to take over Canadian forestry operations if it was known that they were Asia Pulp and Paper. So hence the creation of Paper Excellence as the Trojan horse to get into Canada."

The motion also calls for Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne to appear before the committee. Champagne's office has said there is nothing it can do about Wijaya owning Canada's largest pulp and paper company in addition to Indonesian-Chinese giant APP.

This is the second time the committee has called on Wijaya to testify about Paper Excellence since his takeover of two other Canadian pulp and paper companies.

Paper Excellence was the subject of a joint investigation last year by CBC News and a number of other media organizations working with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. That investigation raised questions about the company's ownership, its financing and its relationship with Asia Pulp and Paper, which has a track record of forest destruction in Indonesia that cost the company its accreditation by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Paper Excellence bought Domtar in 2021 and Resolute Forest Products in 2023 to become Canada's largest pulp and paper company. It has maintained that Paper Excellence is completely separate from APP.

On Nov. 15, however, Paper Excellence served notice to the European Commission that owner Jackson Wijaya is acquiring "sole control" of APP from his father, Teguh Ganda Wijaya (also known as Oei Tjie Goan).

The company has described the move as normal succession planning by the Wijaya family and says APP will simply be a client of Paper Excellence.

When the committee called on him to testify last year, Wijaya claimed that he was too busy and instead sent company executives to testify in his place.

Company won't promise Wijaya will testify

The committee then got bogged down in other business and the committee's study of Paper Excellence and Canada's pulp and paper industry was moved to the back burner.

Jennifer Johnson, vice-president global communications for Domtar, said the company is open to addressing questions from the government and MPs but didn't commit to Wijaya testifying.

"We will consider any request from the committee after the request has been shared with Domtar," Johnson said in an e-mailed response. "The company strongly believes that any engagement with the committee is best served through Domtar representatives in Canada that are closely involved in directing the day-to-day operations of the business, bringing knowledge of the company's ownership and governance."

Angus told the committee that they should start by inviting Wijaya. He said he's prepared to follow it up with a subpoena.

Parliament has a number of tools to compel witnesses to appear, but those powers stop at Canada's borders. A reluctant witness can be arrested and brought to Parliament Hill if they are in Canada, for example but not if they are outside the country.

Angus said a former employee of the company told a B.C. legislative committee that he received directions from individuals in Shanghai and a former Asia Pulp and Paper official has said Paper Excellence is feeding wood fibre to China.

"We need to know, are our mills, some of which have been shut down, some of which have faced environmental penalties since they were taken over by Paper Excellence, are they being managed for the good and the interests of Canadian operations or as feeders for the Chinese machine?" Angus said.

Angus also questioned why Canadian government officials didn't see a link between Paper Excellence and Asia Pulp and Paper.

"This is either the ultimate example of Canadian officials being hoodwinked or they didn't want to know the connection but we need to know the connection because Sinar Mas and Asia Pulp and Paper have a long list of allegations of environmental damage," he said.