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By Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Horgan fails to act on behalf of displaced forestry workers

Jul 18, 2019 | 11:06 AM

IN MY LAST COLUMN in this space in early June, I called on John Horgan and the NDP to do something to help forestry workers whose families and livelihoods were being impacted by mill closures and curtailments. Here we are about six weeks later — with even more workers affected — and still, this government has failed to act.

Members of our BC Liberal rural caucus have been touring forestry-dependent communities to hear directly from employers and workers, and collaborate on ideas to help them and the industry to cope and recover — which is more than I can say for the premier or his forests minister. All they have done so far is tell forestry workers to be patient and try to point fingers at our former government, instead of doing anything productive to address the problem. That’s simply not good enough. Where is the support for people losing their jobs?

Our rural caucus has put together a plan that John Horgan and the NDP continue to ignore. We’ve suggested they engage with the federal government to establish supports and new opportunities for these workers, and that they set up a forestry competitiveness committee to look at longer-term solutions for the industry. These communities need help and resources now, in the short-term, with a vision and action plan for the future as well.

Sadly, the NDP hasn’t given us much hope that it’s capable of long-term thinking. As we mark the two-year anniversary of the NDP forming government, we still see no sign of any plan to grow the economy or jobs in this province. And with these types of job losses mounting in the forestry sector alone, it’s cause for much alarm. The industry saw about 6,600 jobs lost in 2018, with many more so far this year thanks to six permanent and indefinite mill closures — not to mention 112 weeks of operational downtime announced in 2019.

Telling workers and their families to be patient in the face of this reality isn’t just unacceptable, it’s insulting. And to make matters worse, the government did manage to find a million dollars recently to provide free tickets to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for people throughout the Lower Mainland. While supporting the arts is important, the timing of this move couldn’t be more hurtful to those losing their jobs in the forest industry.

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This is a real economic crisis we are facing, with real impacts on British Columbians — but sadly, it doesn’t appear to be a priority for John Horgan and the NDP to address.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.