We can work to put together a plan © for our economy! AS A CANDIDATE for leader of the federal New Democrats, I believe the issues are clear. We either stay a party of protest, jumping from issue to issue, or we offer bold, credible leadership on the bread-and-butter issues that most Canadians care about. That means, first and fore- most, creating good, secure, family- supporting jobs. If we are to gain the confidence of Canadians, this needs to be our top priority. In today’s global economy, we nd OPINION BY LORNE NYSTROM need to develop our resource indus- tries, in particular, because they gen- erate export earnings needed to fund social programs like Medicare. We must develop markets and new prod- ucts, but also safeguard old ones. We have to end the current log-jam with the U.S. on softwood lumber. Italso means that we must expand and diversify industry through capi- tal investment in new plants and processes that will keep us globally competitive. And it means, too, pro- viding the training and skills upgrad- ing that workers need to run the rap- WE MUST WORK TO ELECT AN NDP GOVERNMENT THAT WILL CREATE WEALTH, NOT JUST SPEND IT idly-changing technology that Canada needs for the twenty-first century. To achieve this, Canada needs a strong activist government that plays a supporting role, for example, in developing and preserving markets, promoting research and negotiating trading arrangements that benefit workers and expand exports. Ottawa should also set targets for invest- ment spending, workforce training or job-creation, then work with indus- try, unions, provincial governments and communities to meet them. Taxation or regulatory policies should strive for fairness, but also — remember that people need work | and companies must compete. These are the kind of programs and proposals that I believe will put | the NDP solidly on the road to gov- — ernment. We cannot afford health u care and other programs for people — I believe that the NDP must go to Canadians and ask them to elect a | government that will create wealth, not just spend it. The NDP must be a truly national party with a chance to win, to make real the promise of social democratic government. That’s the NDP that I represent -- a party that offers a realistic future of jobs and opportunites in a dynamic economy. Lorne Nystrom, MP from Regina-Qu'Appelle, is a ccandiate for the federal NDP leadership race. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE We have to start talking about the economy too! Social Democrats and trade unionists have to get real on the economy to build worker support BY DAVE HAGGARD IN TODAY’S RAPIDLY CHANGING global economy, trade unionists have to assess how we can put forth better political and economic solutions to protect the interests of our mem- bers, their families and communities. Since the establish- ment of the modern labour movement, we have aligned our- selves with social democratic solutions. Historically, social democrats have been important to working people across this country. Social Democrats have stood with labour against powerful economic forces that are not always — and sometimes never — likely to act in their best interests. Today there are even more powerful forces abroad and we have need to keep those forces at bay. We have to assist working people survive and flourish against pressures brought by business, international trade, a changing economy, and various agencies of government. We are repeatedly told we have no choice — that levers to change things are slipping away from workers, their communities and elected governments. I think it’s time to reassess social democracy to find eco- nomic solutions to problems that working people face today. How are we going to make ends meet in a rapidly changing world? Will we and our kids after us, have access to good, family supporting jobs? How can we keep our workplaces safe and, down the road, how can we maintain universal health care, education and pensions? Well, as social democrats we have a good track record on social issues. Today average Canadians believe we are the party that most cares about those social issues and others like family support programs, training and skills upgrading, and child care. But the key issue social democrats have to address is how do we pay for all of these much desired programs if we do not maintain and grow a vibrant market economy to raise more government revenue and spend it efficiently. As social democrats and trade unionists we have to come up with plans to show we are highly concerned about the economy if we are to build worker support and get our repre- sentatives into the parliaments and legislatures across Canada. We have to persuade our members and others that we can help them prosper. We have to put forward positive solutions like domestic investment funds and work in a cooperative way to draw investment into the economy. We have to make sure that governments and industry assist workers to achieve higher competitiveness to maintain and enhance markets. We have to find new resources and process- es, to seek new opportunities, while finding a healthy balance between environmental and economic needs. Governments should work cooperatively with industry and labour to set targets for investment and job creation. It should build an infrastructure of roads, transit facilities and educa- tion facilities, both academic and vocational, to assist in skills upgrading and adaptation to new technology. Trade unionists and social democrats have to build productive relationships with employers in both the private and public sectors. Public services must be delivered efficiently as well. To do all of things things we must, some day, become goy- ernment and not just an opposition party. To get there will take a lot of work. If you talk to your fellow workers, chances are they like what social democrats and the NDP have stood for but they probably don’t believe that they are real on the economy. All of that thinking has to change and the IWA is one of the leading organizations that is pushing that debate among social democrats. To survive we have to change how we do things. EDITORIAL That sucking sound from down south Interfor projects itself as a good Canadian company but it has taken advantage of the lumber dispute to move jobs to Washington State THERE GO OUR CANADIAN JOBS! International Forest Products has made a slippery move by shutting down its McDonald Cedar mill in Fort Langley, B.C. this November and moving those jobs into Washington State. Gone are 50 direct jobs at the value-added cedar plant and about 50 more _ related jobs at other mills in the Lower Mainland including the company’s Hammond Cedar and Albion mills. The company, which was forced to build the mill in 1997, without a sound, dynamic, economy. | when it shut down the old MacDonald Cedar mill, said it would operate the new facility for about 5 years. It was always understood, between the company and the union, that if they were to move the mill, those jobs would move to somewhere in the Lower Mainland. The only question was what side of the Fraser River would they be moved to? But Interfor is taking advantage of the Canada-U.S. soft- wood lumber dispute to say it is losing about $10 million a year in paying tariffs on the final end product and has no other choice but to go south. We ask the simple question: if Interfor is allowed to funnel jobs and capital investment down south so easily, what is to stop other B.C. companies from doing the same? Interfor is setting a dangerous precedent. The IWA national office and Local 1-3567 met with B.C. Forest Minister Mike de Jong to seek some answers. Why are Interfor jobs going to our adversaries in the softwood lumber war so easily, without warning to the IWA or the government? What is going to happen to those valued jobs and Canadian resources when a solu- tion to the softwood lumber dispute is found? The local union membership has worked hard to be flexible with alternate shifts and gets rewarded by receiving the short end of the stick. The minister informed the IWA that he will meet with Interfor’s head honcho Duncan Davies to find out WHAT IS TO STOP OTHER CANADIAN how the move to the U.S. fits in with Interfor’s committment to the COMPANIES FROM province. Mr. de Jong did make a FUNNELING good point to the IWA. While other companies are “sucking it (the tariffs) ANADIAN 1088 70. eee is sending jobs over THE UNITED line. We say that is inexcusable. If a STATES? company like Interfor can pose as a good Canadian company and move jobs to the United States so easily, what is to stop every other forest company in the province from shipping our value- added industry south? DECEMBER 2002 THE ALLIED WORKER | oe