Wednesday, September 13, 2006
NDP blasts Bloc for supporting Harper softwood sell-out - Thursday September 7, 2006
Federal NDP Leader Jack Layton and NDP International Trade Critic Peter Julian, MP (Burnaby–New Westminster), today criticized Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe for supporting the softwood lumber agreement drafted by Stephen Harper and George Bush.
“It’s a bad deal — it’s bad for Canada and it’s bad for Quebec. Following the Bloc’s support for the federal budget this is the second time Duceppe has lined up behind the Conservative government and voted with Harper. The Conservatives are failing to stand up for Quebecers and the Bloc are saying that is okay. This is strike two for the Bloc,” said Layton.
“The recent parliamentary hearings on the softwood lumber dispute clearly show that there are real problems with the Bush-Harper agreement. Even if you tried to cover up its flaws or introduce measures to soften its negative effects, it would still be a bad agreement whose very principle represents the capitulation of Canada and Quebec to American lobbyists,” noted Julian.
New Democrats have consistently opposed this bad agreement, which:
is based on the misconception that the Canadian and Quebec softwood lumber industries are subsidized. This belief was roundly rejected in every NAFTA, U.S. and WTO court ruling;
gives George Bush $450 million in escrow to spend as he sees fit
gives $500 million to the U.S. lumber coalition, the Canadian industry’s main adversary, which will no doubt use this money to finance its next trade war against Canada’s softwood lumber industry;
formally gives Washington a right to oversight and a right to veto with respect to Canada’s forestry policies, infringing on its constitutional powers;
would lead to significant job losses and would encourage the export of raw logs.
In response to NDP questioning at the parliamentary committee on international trade on August 21, Guy Chevrette, CEO of the Quebec Forest Industry Council, said that Quebec also finds the agreement to be a stop-gap solution that would not prevent massive restructuring or lay-offs. Mr. Chevrette said the industry was forced to accept the agreement because the federal government had given up.
“The Quebec lumber industry was forced to support it not because they like the deal, but because the Conservatives haven't provided the leadership to fight for a better one. This agreement is absolutely not in the interests of Quebec,” said Mr. Julian.
# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 7:55 AM 
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