<PAGE>


                                                                 EXHIBIT 99.2

STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER OF BOWATER INCORPORATED
       REGARDING FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, David G. Maffucci, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of
Bowater Incorporated, state and attest that:

(1) To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports of
Bowater Incorporated, and, except as corrected or supplemented in a subsequent
covered report:

         o        no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material
                  fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in
                  the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy
                  materials, as of the date on which it was filed); and

         o        no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary
                  to make the statements in the covered report, in light of the
                  circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of
                  the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case
                  of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of
                  the date on which it was filed).

(2) I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the Company's audit
committee.

(3) In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed on or before
the date of this statement, is a "covered report":

         o        Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
                  2001 of Bowater Incorporated;

         o        all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all
                  definitive proxy materials of Bowater Incorporated filed with
                  the Commission subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K
                  identified above; and

         o        any amendments to any of the foregoing.


  /s/ David G. Maffucci
-------------------------------
David G. Maffucci
Executive Vice President and                   Subscribed and sworn to
Chief Financial Officer                        before me this 14th day of
                                               August 2002.
 Date:   August 14, 2002                       /s/ Lori K. Hansen
       ------------------------                ------------------
                                               Notary Public
                                               My Commission Expires: 3/26/2012





