MacDonald Blames BC Liberals for State of Forestry

With Salmon Arms Coe Newnes up for court-ordered sale and the layoff of a third of its workforce last week, Columbia River Revelstoke NDP MLA Norm MacDonald accuses the BC Liberals of pushing the forest industry to complete collapse.

He told the house that there are over 46 major wood-processing facilities closed with more than 20,000 workers losing their jobs and now the forestry crisis is hitting the high-tech sector.

NDP Forest Critic Bob Simpson also called on the Forests Minister to explain why the BC Liberals are refusing to put provincial money into a true stability program for forest workers and forest-dependent communities.

Bob Crouse Astral Media Radio News, Salmon Arm