PRESIDENT’S MESSAG

‘Brazil of North’ charges
not based on reality —

by Gerry Stoney

lhe recent award from the prestigious

Goldman Institute of San Francisco

to B.C. environmental activist

Colleen McCrory has been heavily

criticized by many in the forest
industry. Whether or not those people
agree with Ms. McCrory’s points of view in
general is one matter. What she is saying
about Canada being the “Brazil of the
North” is quite another.

Ms. McCrory, now a high profile recipient
of a Goldman Environmental prize, which
is given annually to environmentalists
from six continents intends to, along with
others, now go on a global campaign to
sling mud at Canada’s forest industry.

Her message, which was delivered this
month at the Earth Summit in Rio de
Janeiro Brazil, where she also received the
UN’s Global 500 Award, is designed to get
people to believe that our forest practices
are the same as those in Brazil.

What the Goldman Institute and the UN
have neglected to do is assess Ms.
McCrory’s message for what it is - absurd!

In Brazil they are not cutting their
forests with the policy of replenishing them
for future generations. In large areas of
Brazil, rapid deforestation is taking place
because of severe demands of a starving

population.

In Canada, we harvest the forests and
replant them in planning for future crops of

timber. In Brazil,
the Amazonian rain
forest is being lev-
elled and burned for
other reasons.

In Brazil much of
their wood cut down
is not utilized either
for commercial wood
products or for fire
wood. In the place of
those rain forests,
the remaining soils
are used for cattle
raising, and agricul-
tural food produc-
tion.

The tropical soils
are inevitably de-
pleted in less than a
generation and the

as “Brazil of the
North” is entirely

monious. She and
her supporters are
trying to capitalize
on a negative conno-
tation by comparing
Canada with Brazil.
Logically, if one
follows what the
are trying to capi
ize on, it is the even-
tual shutdown of the
forest industry.
They are saying
that Canada har-
vests forest like
Brazil does. There-
fore, according to
their thinking, to
save the planet not

exploitive cycle of
eliminating the for-
est continues in Brazil as the slash and
burn escalates.

Brazil has a population of over 150 mil-
lion, and rates as one of the world’s most
impoverished countries. Nearly two thirds
of its people live in abject poverty.

Its government doesn’t have a plan to
reforest the areas cut down. It has no plans
to grow future crops of trees. There are no
plans to make Brazil’s forest industry sus-
tainable.

In Canada we are not levelling our
forests to turn them into massive agricul-
tural spreads. We are farming our trees -
and farming is the operative word.

We are farming our forest lands for
future generations who will require forest
products. And to deny that we will need
forest products in the future to bury our
heads in the sand.

McCrory’s one sided portrayal of Canada

only must we halt
destruction of the Brazilian rain forest, but
we must also halt the logging of Canadian
forests.

Rather than sling mud at the industry
and mislead people, Ms. McCrory and her
followers should join the debate of how we
can best manage our forests for the vast
number of values that they contain.

It’s time to tune out the non-constructive
rhetoric and roll up our sleeves to first find
out what forest lands we will be logging,
and secondly to harvest and replenish the
forests with all our collective skill and
knowledge.

It’s time to bury the rhetorical hatchet
and work together to first finally establish
clearly where the working forest is. Then
after doing so we must work together to
regrow more each year than we cut down.

Canada is not and never will be the
Brazil of the North.

one sided and acri-

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPM

Environment and Land-use
department undergoes change

by Claire Dansereau

Ihe Environment and Land-Use depart-

ment at the National office has gone

through a number of significant changes

in the past few months. The departures

of Jack Munro, Roger Stanyer and Clay
Perry had temporarily left the department
short-handed at a time when environmental
problems were increasing daily.

These three people were instrumental in
forming and shaping the department. With
their help and vision IWA-CANADA was able to
become a credible voice on all matters dealing
with forestry and the environment.

Brother Munro’s continued interest and con-
cern for the membership over environment
issues was unfailing. He wasted no opportunity
to tell the world about our forest policy, our
environment committees and our continued
involvement in shaping environmentally and
economically-sound government and corporate
policies. His caring and his presence will be
sadly missed by this department.

Brother Stanyer was the chairman of the
National Environment Committee and the
Vice-President responsible for forestry and
environmental issues. He provided many
insights, vision and strength during times
when others of us despaired at the lack of solu-
tions. He is now working with the British
Columbia government as a Senior Policy
Advisor to the Minister of Forests. He also will
be missed.

Everyone at the National office was sorry to
see Brother Clay Perry go as well. His dedica-
tion to the membership of this organization is
unquestionable. The countless weekends he
devoted to government committees, education
and research attest to this. He provided us
with a great historical and philosophical per-
spective that helped shape many policies. He
has moved onto the Commission on Resources

~ and the Environment
and in his new posi-
tion will undoubtedly
continue to speak out
for the working peo-
ple of this country.
We wish him all the
best.

Though these
times of change have
been full of turmoil,
with change often
comes opportunity.
Those that moved
into the vacancies
left behind are more than welcome by this
department.

Brother Gerry Stoney’s concern for the mem-
bership in all policy areas, including the envi-
ronment, equals that of Jack Munro. He has
already proven to be a strong leader in this
area and continues to stay involved.

Brother Warren Ulley, ex-president of the
Logger’s Local 1-71, has stepped into the office
vacated by Roger Stanyer. Brother Ulley is
unquestionably

Brother Dave Haggard, president of Local 1-
85; Brother Norm Rivard, president of Local 1-
2995; Brother Wilf McIntyre, president Local 1-
2693; Brother Klaus Offermann, Local 1-405;
and, finally Brother Bob Freer, Local 1-71 are
currently members of the National
Environment Committee.

Together, these Brothers are active in their
Local Unions on many environmental issues
and in future will provide assistance to other
Locals.

The priorities for the Environment
Committee have been streamlined to ensure
that each one is attended to efficiently.

The first priority for the Committee will be to
develop an education program so that Local
Unions can feel comfortable in dealing with
environmental issues that affect them. An edu-
cation manual will be given top priority by the
department. The manual will be used both to
help establish environment committees and by
the environment committees in their day-to-
day work.

A second priority of the Committee will be to
raise IWA-CANADA’s profile with respect to

environmental issues. In

suited to the task
and brings to it
renewed strength
and a sense of orga-
nization. His expe-
rience in this area
will provide us with”
some added exper-
tise. The Logger’s

The National Environment
Committee met in June to
establish a new structure,

priorities and mandate

order to do this, the
Committee will be prepar-
ing a kit of speaking
material, videos, slides,
etc. that Local Unions can
use when presenting IWA-
CANADA’s forest policy on
positions on the environ-
ment.

Local has been

faced with confrontational and non-confronta-
tional environmental problems for many years
and Brother Ulley was active in all of them. As
an Executive Board Member Brother Ulley was
instrumental in establishing this department.

Because of these welcome additions, the
department is taking on a new life. The
National Environment Committee held a meet-
ing in early June to propose new priorities, a
structure and a mandate.

The Environment Committee now includes
two representatives from Ontario, three from
British Columbia and one from the prairie
provinces, It is hoped that in this way, the con-
cerns expressed by all Local Unions will be
addressed by someone located close to them

geographically.

5 The third priority of the
Committee will be to continue promoting our
forest policy and our concerns to all levels of
government and corporations.

And finally, the Committee will continue to
provide assistance through research and brief
preparation/presentation to Local Unions.

All of us in the department and the
Committee look forward to the upcomin;
months.The challenges faced by this Naat
Union everywhere in the country are on the
rise.

Claire Dansereau is IWA-CANADA’s
Forest and Environmental Planner.

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4/LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1992