Forest Practices Code needs to implement worker training y unveiling a new Forest Practices Code on November 9, the B.C. New Democ- rats have taken a large step towards better forest management in the province (see story page one). The Mike Harcourt government is doing what unionized workers have long called for. It is putting in a legislated Forest Prac- AMERICANS ADDRESSED OUR CONCERNS AND LEFT OUR DIGNITY ALL IN ALL, THE RENEGOTIATIONS WENT VERY tices Code. © LUMTIBERUIORHER On its own and with previous rules and regula- tions in place, the industry has been doing a much better job in recent years. In some areas of the province the industry has been very progressive in changing the way things are done in the woods. The Code will go a long way to reassure the public that the industry's practices on public lands are be- ing monitored intensively. After all, for the most part, B.C.’s forests are public land and the govern- ment has a major responsibility to ensure that things are kept in line. Most impressively the new Code will institute heavy fines for violators. Companies may face enalties of up to $1 million instead of the previous $5,000 and may have their cutting rights revoked for serious violations. The threat of heavy fines may very well go a long way to ensuring that the Code will be strictly ad- hered to. IWA-CANADA has long called for tough legislative action in the woods. This call was especially strong during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s when the So- cred government of the day let the companies moni- tor themselves in a period of “Sympathetic Administration”. The new Code will see a reversal of “Sympathetic Administration,” and more Forest Service and Min- istry of Environment staff out in the field. Parts of the new Code will see new regulations for the maintenance of biological diversity and a limita- tion on the size of clearcuts. The union has been told the new changes will re- duce the AAC by about 3%. That will mean less wood to log for union and non-union loggers. That is a very significant takeaway, especially when we are faced with upcoming reductions in the annual allow- able cuts due to growing land use pressures. Tf mishandled, the Code can mean more layoffs and hardship for workers. If handled properly, there can be new jobs created, with more employment with labour intensive logging and silviculture practices. Now is the time, if there ever was one, for the NDP government to create new jobs in the forests in face of declining harvests. It must have the political will to do so. The economic conditions are here now to create jobs in the forests. Our old growth forests are like gold. Lumber prices have sky rocketed and will re- main high for the long term foreseeable future. Therefore the industry and the government have more slack now than they ever did, to create new employment opportunities. Of course industry, left to its own devices, will eliminate jobs, not make them. We believe that the Forest Practices Code is good in principle. But we will wait to make our final judgement when we see what new job training there is for forest workers. Our members need that train- ing to help enforce that Code and develop new skills needed as the industry moves to intensively create more jobs, not less. Official publication of WA-CANADA WELL... INTACT. Chretien government completely capitulates as it breaks promise to renegotiate NAFTA It’s been said on more than one occasion that when push comes to shove a Liberal is a Tory. As predicted the new Liberal federal government, under the listless leadership of Jean Chretien, has rapidly and completely capitulated to the full implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Tt has happened so quickly and with such ease that their appears to be a seamless con- nection between the Liberals | and the government of Brian | Mulroney, who have rendered | Canada’s sovereignty to U.S. | interests. Instead of opening up the | NAFTA to renegotiate a Cana- | dian energy security agree- |ment, and negotiate a new | subsidies code and anti-dump- | ing rules, as promised prior to | our October 25 federal elec- | tion, the Chretien government | has bit the dust. Like a good | servant of U.S. interests it will | implement the NAFTA without | any changes. After all, Jean Chretien is going to help push through what Brian Mulroney and his corporate backers | wanted for Canada. In reaction, the New Demo- cratic Party has correctly called the Chretien govern- ment’s actions a continuation of Mulroney’s legacy of cow- ardice and deceit. NDP trade critic William Blakie said it all clearly. “The great sucking sound predicted | by Ross Perot as a result of NAFTA . . . was revealed by | the great sucking sound of Jean Chretien as he ate all the | promises that the Liberals ‘made on NAFTA during the ' election.” One is a Canadian “declara- tion” on energy sovereignty which says we have the right to our own energy resources before guaranteeing supplies to the U.S. in time of short- ages. The other pages are joint Canadian, U.S. and Mex- ican statements on water exports, anti-dumping mea- sures, and subsidies. After seeing the three page agreement Prime Minister Chretien said: “We have done, in my judgement, much more than most of the people said we would. And in fact there was no price we had to pay to get it.” aS Get what? U.S. Trade Representative Mickey Kantor said the three page agreement “side deals” don’t change NAFTA and that the U.S. is not committed to “any particular outcome” in subsidy and anti-dumping talks. So, yes Chretien’s at- tempt to save face on his elec- tion promises was and will be useless for Canada. As for energy Mr. Kantor said: “The United States has no doubt that Canada will continue to be a fully reliable energy supplier... None of these (Chretien) statements change the NAFTA in any way.” But if we look south of the border the U.S. did slip in some of its own changes to NAFTA implementing legisla- tion when President Clinton was in the midst of his vote- buying spree. In legislation submitted to Congress on November 3 there were changes to allow the U.S. Senate to “clarify” industry to use broader pow- ers under U.S. law to chal- lenge panel decisions. The charges so alarmed even Canada’s most ultra right wing pro-free trade sup- porter and lobby group, the Business Council of National Issues, that its leader Thomas D’Aquino said that if Canada “fails to persuade the (U.S.) administration and the Con- gress to abandon the . . . pro- posals (it) will force the Canadian business communi- ty to reconsider its support for Canadian participation in NAFTA.” A day after President Clin- ton signed the legislation and forwarded it to Congress, Prime Minister Chretien said his government would hang tough on NAFTA renegotiation and would refuse to go ahead with the deal. Then two days later Liberal Trade Minister Ray McLaren said Canada could get the changes it want- ed without renegotiating the NAFTA. The changes the Liberals wanted were none, because we didn’t get any. The Canadi- an public has been hood- winked again. Unfortunately the corporate media has not pointed out that the Liberal is the same as a Tory. We don’t have a govern- ment that will protect us. The power of U.S. capital and in- fluence in Ottawa is over- whelming. Election promises from Jean Chretien are mean- ingless. As a federal govern- ment, Canada has a collective of push-overs as its represen- tatives on the world stage. Kantor says that Canada’s water is covered under RRY STONEY . . President | So what did Chretien get U.S. law on countervails un- NorMAN GARCIA SNEILMENARD | letVicePresident | for Candia after US. Presi. der NAFTA. There is also lan- NAFTA. Chretien says it is not Editor FRED MIRON ..2nd Vice-President | dent Bill Clinton went on a guage that allows trinational but itis. WARREN ULLEY . . 3rd Vice-President | shameless vote buying binge NAFTA panel dispute deci- The U.S. has now got Cana- 5th Floor, HARVEY ARCAND . , 4th Vice-President | to get NAFTA through the U.S, sions to be appealed to U.S. dian resources held hostage 1285 W. Pender Street TERRY SMITH .. Secretary-Treasurer | Jegislature on November 17? courts. in the event of future short- Vancouver, B.C. He got three pages of “side In fact to sell the NAFTA in ages. No other country has V6E 4B2 agreements” not even worth the U.S. Mr. Kantor actually given away so much for so lit- BROADWAY <> PRINTERS LTD. the paper they are written on. made a statement urging U.S. _ tle without even a fight. LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1993/5