| _NDP leader's Car British Columbia manah speech - Viewed as victory by Greens ae VW VY P= = SB ww OO tm a Continued from page 1 tained in an original motion from the party’s standing committee on the envir- onment for a ecologically and economically sustainable future, but dropped in the sub- sequently amended resolution adopted by the convention. At the heart of the controversy was the standing committee’s call for “a moratorium on all logging in the Carmanah Watershed (to) continue until a comprehensive regional plan is in place for forest resource allocation in the region... ..” The resolution pleased neither the Green Caucus, which wants the watershed pre- served without conditions, nor the IWA delegates, some of whom were reportedly ready to walk out of the convention in the event a moratorium motion passed. Both sides hunkered down to work on a com- promise, but failed to arrive at consensus. The | Greens subsequently struck an amended resolution urging that “the Car- manah Valley be preserved in its entirety, in recognition of its ecological significance and _ heritage value....” It also called for NDP > government legislation protecting long- term forest employment that “is not dependent on the liquidation of old-growth forests.” Their resolution acknowledged the need for “an environmentally sustainable forest management policy” that reflected both the IWA’s jobs-and-environment policy adopt- ed in principle at its convention last fall “and existing NDP policy.” It never made it to the floor. Instead, delegates debated a resolution calling for a region-by-region planning process involv- ing “preliminary discussions between forest industry unions, companies, the NDP government and public interest groups.” The object of the discussions would be to “schedule logging and preservation activity in such as way as to maintain employment and raw material supplies without jeopard- izing the option to preserve or prescribe special treatment in areas subject to " resource conflicts.” __ The discussions would recognize the Brundtland Report’s recommendation to preserve 12 per cent of “representative eco- _ systems,” as well as the land base of work- ing forests, the resolution stated. No IWA delegates stood to defend the resolution, which one Green representative labelled, “a commitment to scheduled log- ging activity” in the Carmanah. But party heavyweights, including MPs Dave Barrett and Bob Skelly, along with MLAs Moe Sihota and Dan Miller, sup- ported the resolution with strong speeches that promoted setting policy for environ- ment and logging throughout the province. “The best environmentalists in B.C. are the members of the [WA,” Sihota declared, stating that the resolution “says never, never again will the Socreds be allowed to divide British Columbians.” An impassioned Barrett won a standing ovation when he said: “This resolution demands that we do our homework (and) look at the whole picture.” Burnaby MP Svend Robinson, a Green Caucus member whossubsequently won a seat on the party’s provincial executive council, defended the original resolution, saying it provided ‘ta comprehensive way (to deal) with land use conflicts. “To adopt (the resolution under debate) is to abdicate this leadership,” he charged. In a reference to Harcourt’s earlier remark, Robinson said: “We do not plan | policy based on reading people’s lips.” He said it allowed the option of logging the Carmanah, and “I think that would be a | profound mistake.” He also reminded delegates that the | Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) DAVE BARRETT calls for preservation of 12 per cent of the total land base, not simply the resolution’s “representative ecosystems.” Miller put the question succinctly when he urged delegates to remember that, “we are on the eve on an election. . .let’s go for- ward with a blueprint.” The NDP is counting on becoming the government in the next provincial election, which may take place as early as this spring. Under Mike Harcourt it has been seeking a safe middle ground with the provincial leader assuring business interests that he is in favour of economic growth. The message from the IWA is more mixed. The union has adopted in principle a plan for logging that addresses many envir- onmental concerns, but has also hitched its star to logging interests in battles over the preservation of the last stands of unspoiled forest, including the South Moresby chain of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the Carmanah valley. In an interview later Green Caucus spo- kesperson Adrienne Peacock said a victory can be claimed anyway because Harcourt is on the record as opposing Carmanah log- ging. “He said it: We’re not going to logit,” she remarked. Peacock noted, however, that there is tougher policy on the environment and land use in the NDP’s policy booklet and in previous resolutions. In a newsletter distributed at the conven- tion the Lower Mainland Green Caucus criticized the party leaders for allowing less than one hour for debate on environmental issues. Time consumed on debating the Sus- tainable Development and Regional Eco- nomic Development policy papers left even less time for the Carmanah debate, the cau- cus complained, and in fact only the first ADRIENNE PEACOCK motion of many on environment made it to the floor. (However, the time for debate was extended by 30 minutes following a conven- tion vote.) Green Caucus power made itself felt in a later vote on provincial executive positions, when IWA vice-president Gerry Stoney and Connie Munro, wife of union president Jack Munro, were defeated in their re- election bids and replaced by Greens. The convention also recognized Native land claim and title through adoption of the policy paper, “Towards a Just and Honou- rable Settlement: Indian Land Claims in British: Columbia.” It committed the NDP to recognizing aboriginal title and self-government and entrenching self-government in the Consti- tution of Canada. Another resolution backed the Tin Wis Accord which includes region-based re- source development through the participa- tion of Natives, trade unionists, environ- mentalists and other groups. An emergency resolution condemned Secretary of State cuts to Native organizations and newspap- ers and “‘the actions of the Vander Zalm government which have led to these cuts.” Other emergency resolutions condemned federal budgetary cuts to women’s centres and committed an NDP government to provide core funding; pledged to rescind any school referendum legislation; pledged an NDP government would give “‘prefer- ence” to B.C. fishermen in light of the recent GATT and Free Trade panel rulings selling out the province’s fish resource. ““We’re going to say no to (Prime Minis- ter) Brian Mulroney. No to (the Goods and ' Services Tax). No to the fish giveaway. No to funding cuts for women’s centres. And no to funding cuts for aboriginal peoples,” Harcourt told the convention in his address. 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