BC NDP

VICTORIA – Prince George and Mackenzie residents should be asking Pat Bell why he doesn’t support B.C. wood, say the New Democrats.

Bell, along with his B.C. Liberal counterparts, refused to support an opposition motion which would have encouraged the use of B.C. wood in public projects. The motion, an amendment to the government’s “Wood First” act, was debated and voted on Monday afternoon.

“There’s nothing in the government’s bill that will ensure a single job is protected in Prince George, Mackenzie, or any other B.C. community,” said Cariboo North MLA Bob Simpson. “It’s a lot of wishful thinking with no concrete action behind it.

“Given the B.C. Liberals’ own actions, it’s just as likely the wood used for public projects will come from U.S. mills as Canadian mills. Our amendment would have at least meant that B.C. wood would come first.”

During the election campaign, New Democrats discovered that wooden posts used in signs advertising highway projects were coming from U.S. mills, some of which were the staunchest opponents of B.C. forest practices.

“The B.C. Liberal record on looking out for the interests of forest-dependent communities is pretty shameful,” said opposition forest critic Norm Macdonald. “They’ve stood by and watched as tens of thousands of forestry jobs have disappeared.

“Our amendment would have been a step toward protecting B.C. forest jobs and stabilizing the economy of forest-dependent communities. Instead of standing up for B.C. forest workers, the B.C. Liberals voted no to B.C. wood.”

Under the B.C. Liberals, B.C. has had the worst rate of full-time job losses, the second-worst performing economy, and highest level of child poverty in the country.

Last year, New Democrat Leader Carole James unveiled a five-point plan to renew and modernize the forest industry. The plan includes: developing a green forest plan, developing an innovative and diverse industry, community and worker stabilization funding, a permanent commission on forestry and tenure reform.