The B.C. provincial government is dealing with the clean up of over a decade and a half of Socred mismanagement of our forests, said Premier Mike Harcourt, to IWA Convention delegates, and the NDP government is going to fix things.

"We're dealing with the years of Socred overcut- ting and we're dealing with the Socred lack of a job and a retraining strategy."

Harcourt said the NDP government is going to "build a sustainable forest strategy to make up for that lost time."

"It's a goal of this government to ensure that you and your daughters and sons have the opportunity to work in the forests and to proudly wear their IWA

Jackets like you do," Harcourt told the delegates.

"Our goal is more jobs, not less, and we intend to accomplish this by developing a sustainable indus-

"Over the coming weeks and months we'll be ask- ing you to work closely with us as we take action to bring security to the women and men who work in the forests of this province; security to the many communities across this province that have been built by you and that rely on you."

Harcourt said the provincial government is going to consult with the union and the industry in the de- velopment of a training and job security strategy

that ensures forest jobs over the long term. He has directed the Minister of Forests to work with the above parties to meet these needs.

"This co-operation between the three major part- ners ... will also be necessary to meet some other challenges that we face in building a secure future for this industry..."

To develop a sustainable industry and sustainable forestry, Harcourt said the government must firmly establish which are the working forests of B.C. Then he said decisions must be made to identify what is to be done with the fibre harvested.

Officers elected

Continued from previous page

National Eastern office in Toronto, where he co- ordinates a number of departments and sits on provincial forestry commissions.

Darrel Wong president of B.C. Logger's Local 1- 71, nominated Warren Ulley as Third National Vice- President. Brother Ulley, -himself a former three time president of Local 1-71, was first appointed as Third Vice-President in April of 1992. He has the po- sition of chairman of the National Forest and Envi- ronment committee.

Long time IWA officer and activist Harvey Arcand accepted a nomination as National Fourth Vice- President, from Brian Symmes, first vice-president of Williams Lake, B.C. Local 1-425, the local union where Brother Arcand still holds the position of president. The Fourth National Vice-President posi- tion is a part-time one at present.

Brother Arcand was first appointed to the post in May of 1992.

Terry Smith, former president of Local 1-357 was re-elected as the organization's Secretary-Treasurer for the third consecutive term. He was nominated by Local 1-3567's first vice-president Joe Leclair.

On the same day, Brother Bob DeLeeuw, Finan- cial Secretary of Alberta Local 1-207, accepted a nomination as six year National Trustee, from Dan Clements, Financial Secretary of Duncan, B.C. Lo- cal 1-80. “ f ;

This year the position of National Fifth Vice-Pres- ident was dropped from the IWA's constitution.

Terms for the position of National Officers are two years. Any positions that are vacated during the term will be appointed by the National President

subject to ratification by the National Executive

Board.

10/LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1992

a long-time NDP activist.

° B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt was greeted at convention by IWA national president Gerry Stoney, himself

Harcourt says government’s goal is more jobs, not less

"It's absolutely critical that the,.three of us sit down; business workers and government to make these decisions and that we involve people in our communities."

Harcourt said the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE), established in January, will aid in determining which areas will be the working forest.

"We've been bringing people together in many communities to discuss ... how we can best make use of our forests and our land base."

At the same time Harcourt said the government is working on a "Protected Areas Strategy" to examine areas considered for preservation and for working forests.

Together Harcourt said the CORE and the Protect- ed Areas Strategy, will "provide the opportunity for us to sit down and determine just where and how to harvest."

“And more importantly," said Harcourt, "they can help us prevent the men and women who work in the forests of British Columbia from having to face the kind of crisis that is being dealt with by the Newfoundland cod fishermen this year, where an entire industry has been shut down because of over- harvesting and will for the foreseeable future."

Harcourt said the NDP government is going to continue helping the industry fight back against overseas attacks by anti-logging environmentalist

groups.

He said that in September the Minister of Forests and a number of industry representatives from B.C. went to Europe to investigate the campaign against the B.C. forest industry.

In Britain, Harcourt said major efforts are under- way to discredit B.C. lumber production because the environmental groups say it's not environmen- tally friendly. In Germany the environmental move- ment is demanding that B.C. freeze 50% of its land base forever, and put a moratorium on the other half until bio-diversity studies are done, even though Germany has less than 1% of its land set aside.

Harcourt said a misinformed Europe is being hit by an "emotion-based campaign" which is "attacking our province and our industry at a time when we are making so much progress."

"In. the last month people from our Ministry of Forests have met with officials from other forest ministries across Canada to find a way to get the truth out about British Columbia and Canada, to get the truth out about the progress we've made and continue to make," said Harcourt.

"I'm going to be travelling again to Europe this spring (1992) with leaders like Gerry Stoney, people from the industry, environmental leaders and others - talking widely to the media, the politicians, (and) environmentalists as I've already done to counter- act the terrible misrepresentation of what we're try- ing to accomplish here in British Columbia..."

Delegates aim resolutions at gov’t.

JOB PROTECTION AND CREATION — for the first time the

union is demanding that a minimum of one union

job be created for every 500 cubic metres of a com-

pany annual allowable cut and if the company can't

create the jobs, the timber should be taken away or

left standing.

POLICY ON TIMBER TRANSFERS — the IWA says that only

the information that is presented at public hearings

should be used in making decisions on timber trans-

fers and that in the future public hearings on timber

transfers should be expedited.

SILVICULTURE POLICY — our union will lobby both the B.C. provincial government for a proper silviculture program and budget and request that the forest in- dustry take on a larger share of such responsibility for such activity.

COMPENSATION FOR JOB LOSS — any jobs that are lost by our members due to government decisions must

be fully compensated for by the government. IWA- CANADA will lobby for this.

GRANT MONEY COMPENSATION — the union's position is that when a company closes down any industry or operation, it should pay back any start-up grant monies obtained federally or provincially. GROUP SAFETY AWARDS - the IWA will contact the WCB to demand the elimination of group safety awards in the workplace. LITERACY IN THE WORKPLACE - the union has been rected to enter into discussions with all or any for- est industry companies in order to set up workplace literacy programs. ANTI-SCAB PROTECTION — the convention once again demands that all provincial and the federal govern- ment put in labour legislation to protect workers

against scabs.