The Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP is concerned with a lack of response from the federal government over job losses in B.C.’s forest sector.
Cathy McLeod is one of five Conservative MPs who have signed an open letter to Minister of Economic Development Navdeep Bains, calling him out for ignoring rural communities in BC’s Interior.
“The federal government tends to be very responsive when it’s Bombardier, when it’s car manufacturing, SNC Lavalin, and for them to be totally quiet on this issue is not acceptable. Yes it is predominantly a provincial issue and the province has a major role to play, but the federal government has some key areas that they need to look at.”
McLeod says there’s significant funding in the Western Economic Diversification program, which she says Bains could use to guide forest workers to programs available.
She says when the sector struggled in ’08 and ’09, her government gave forest workers priority when companies hired for infrastructure projects.
“We did have the EI program to be much more flexible at the time, opened up job sharing opportunities. So people might not lose their whole job but there was more opportunity for the job sharing where people might choose to work half time. Which sometimes if you’re close to retirement can be a very viable option.”
McLeod says she wrote to Minister Bains more than six weeks ago asking for immediate action, but says in the letter there has been “nothing but silence” since then, and adds “the situation has worsened, and your government appears to be oblivious to the needs of families in our region.”
This year, mill closures have been announced in Vavenby, Chasm and Quesnel, with curtailments at many more mills in places including Merritt, 100 Mile House, Quesnel, Kelowna, Mackenzie, Isle Pierre and other locations. McLeod says the job losses are in the thousands.