Anger Growing
continued from page two

two NDP’ers in the Victoria
legislature, told the rally that
premier Gordon Campbell has to
say what his plans are for forest
workers, their families and
communities.

Mr. Campbell, why is every
change that you’re proposing in
forest policy going to make
Weyerhaeuser richer and is only
going to bring devastation to forest
workers...?” she said.

The previous week she told
Campbell to BEOP listening to
lobbyists from the forest companies
and start listening to workers.

Doug Muir, national president of
PPWC, joined the rally with
members from the Weyco Island
Phoenix Division and his union’s
national excessive board.

Two weeks earlier the PPWC was

logs were flowing across the U.S.
border.

A week earlier over 400 people
were in Ladysmith doing the same.

Muir said the government is going
to offer Weyerhaeuser the solution
of by passing jobs in communities
with a free flow of logs.

“They’re gonna drive by your shut
down mill! None of us should let
that happen. Our communities
should mean everything to us and
our jobs should mean everything to
us,” he said.

Meanwhile Muir said pulp mills
are running out of saad chips as
remaining sawmills can’t maintain
a sufficient supply.

He questioned why the forest
companies are the only “investors”
that seem to count, while workers
and their families are investors too.

Victoria and District Labour
Council president Colin Graham
said his council is prepared to stand
with the I.W.A. and communities.

rt of a rally of 400 outside
eyerhaeuser’s office in Nanaimo
where they demanded to know why
B.C. workers were not working while

“We may be in Victoria but we
certainly know what it means to
have a forest industry that works,”
he said.

-T WANT YOUR LOGS

¢ Local 1-80 president Bill Routley told the crowd that Liberal forest
policy changes will cause hardship for workers and communities.

I.W.A. Resolution

continued from page one

without being able to tell Canadians
how we would pay for them. As a
result, an awful lot of working people
in this country have turned away —
because the promises are not credible
as long as people don’t understand
how they would pay for them, and
as long as they don’t trust the NDP
to manage their tax dollars wisely.”

As part of the resolution, future
NDP economic policy will be guided
by the need to set national standards
for investment in new technology;
economic diversification; value-
added production; training and skills;
economic, social and environmental
sustainability and export
development.

Governments would aid economic
enterprises that agree to meet these
goals.

In addition, governments would
set regulatory and tax policies ina
way that balances the needs of
workers, families and communities
with the need to encourage spending,
saving and investment, particularly
in the “real” economy — the part that
actually produces goods or provides
services, rather than investing in

stock manipulations, mergers,
currency speculation and other
financial dealings.

“We very seriously need to
encourage economic growth and
create jobs. Without production,
especially for export, and people
working and paying taxes, we can
never expect to promote and protect
health care, education and other
important services to people,”
Haggard warned, adding that “this
gives the NDP an opportunity to
show Canadians they care about
jobs, the economy, education and
training opportunities for workers
and their families.”

The I.W.A. resolution nearly did

not make the floor for debate. In
spite of strong lobbying by vice-
president Wilf McIntyre at.the NDP
resolutions committee meeting in
Toronto in October, it was priorized
too low to likely be debated. I.W.A.
worked through the convention’s
resolutions appeals committee and
with the Canadian Labour Congress
and B.C. Federation of Labour to get
the motion moved up to second.

“We appreciate the committee’s
flexibility and the support of the
CLC and B.C. Fed. It was extremely
important to us to make sure it made
it to the floor,” Haggard noted.

- Kim Pollock

FOR US. SAWHILIS

e The Americans position on log exports was made poignant by this

rally sign.

Minister talks on exports

At the end of the I.W.A.-lead rally,
B.C. forest minister Mike de Jong
faced the audience and sensed the
growing anger of forest workers and
community supporters.

Mr. de Jong said that “existing
log export restrictions on log exports
are not on the table (with the
Americans), period.”

But he did not say that restrictions
would be increased.

If solutions are going to be found,
said the minister, “we are going to
have to work together.”

He said that I.W.A. president
Dave Haggard’s criticisms “have
been pointed, they have been
passionate, but they have been,
above all, constructive.”

“So Mr. Haggard, these are
difficult days for your membership.
But the solution surely does lie in
working together — people,
communities, workers, industry and
government,” said de Jong. “And my
pledge to you today is to do
everything we can to ensure that
the interests of the people that drive
the engine that drives the economy

in British Columbia are protected.”

Asked by a member of the audience
if the government would stop log
exports from Crown lands, de Jong
acknowledged that log exports have
increased.

“Is there anyone in this province
who wouldn’t want every stick of
timber harvested in B.C. processed
in B.C.?” he said.

“Surely that should be the
objective and surely that is the
objective,” he added. “All I can tell
you, sir, is that’s an objective I share
with you and that’s what we’re
working towards.”

De Jong said the next couple of
weeks would be instrumental at the
trade table. He said that if the
government can secure its objectives,
it can reopen the border and gain
access to the U.S. marketplace.

De Jong said he was impressed
that the group with the most unified,
loud voice about “not caving in to
unreasonable American demands
are you — the people who are facing
the pain the worst.” &

Modern Mixed Economy

WHEREAS the New Democratic Party has failed consistently to realize its full electoral potential as the party of
working Canadians; and

WHEREAS this results in part from our failure to present a realistic, viable and popular economic platform; and

WHEREAS we fully recognize that we cannot realize our social and democratic goals without a dynamic, modern
mixed economy and government policies that encourage investment in industry and expansion of economic activity,
trade and employment; and

WHEREAS we also know that our ability to increase the amount of government revenues dedicated to human services
depends on careful management of government finances,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that New Democrats are committed to building a modern, dynamic mixed economy in
which private and public-sector firms and agencies are encouraged to invest in production of goods and provision of
services to people; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the governments of New Democrats adopt national objectives to stimulate investment in
‘such areas as:

1. New technology;

2. Economic diversification;

3. Value-added production;

4, Training and skills development;

5. Economic, social and environmental sustainability;
6. Research and development;
7. Export development; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the governments of New Democrats stimulate economic activity and investment by:

1. Assisting the growth of all economic enterprises that agree to help reach national goals and objectives, including
private companies, co-operatives, credit unions, Crown corporations and non-governmental organizations;
2. Maintaining Canada's place in the global economy by ensuring fair trade and promoting trade opportunities for
Canadians while protecting Canadians’ jobs, living standards, human rights and civil liberties;
3. Establishing national standards or objectives for performance and audit enterprises’ progress or success at
‘meeting them;
4, Implementing tax policies that recognize the needs of workers, families, communities and regions and encourage
‘appropriate levels of spending, savings and investment;
5. Carefully managing government finances to ensure that governments pursue balanced budgets and avoid
indebtedness to banks or other financial institutions;
6. Encouraging private investment in capital formation and the production of useful goods or services, rather than
“paper” growth in form of stock manipulation, corporate mergers or acquisitions, currency speculation and other
financial dealings; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that beyond what is needed to ensure a viable economy, increments in government's
share of the benefits and wealth generated through a dynamic, modern mixed economy be directed toward creation of
a vibrant, democratic society based on:

1. The need for learning, employment and leisure; o

2. The provision of quality, basic human services available to all citizens regardless of means,

3. The need for democratic reforms in civil society, the political realm and the workplace.

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER 2001/3