“People in the Cariboo are tired of NDP excuses while good-paying jobs disappear.”
That is from Prince George-North Cariboo Conservative MLA Sheldon Clare.
He also accuses the provincial government of portraying forestry as a so-called sunset industry.
“It certainly is not that. This is an industry that built this province, it has provided good, high paying jobs over a long period of time, and there are still lots of opportunities in forestry that are being ignored by this province. And when we start seeing all of these mill closures all over the place and businesses fleeing to other jurisdictions and the work going elsewhere, we all should be very concerned about that.”
Clare says he would like to see the province do three things immediately.
“They could change the industrial carbon tax regime to look at more to how Alberta’s approach is, they could reduce the industrial electricity costs by negotiating with BC Hydro about that, and also just generally have a look at the provincial policies and regulatory costs that have been continually undermining the BC forest industries’ ability to compete.”
Clare points to the curtailment at Quesnel River Pulp and how Millar Western continues to operate its two mills in Alberta as an example.
Conservative Party leader Kerry-Lynn Findlay says British Columbians shouldn’t have to watch good-paying resource jobs disappear while the NDP government sits on its hands.
