Unions howl over Harper's softwood lumber deal

NEWS RELEASES

UNITED STEELWORKERS OF AMERICA

COMMUNICATIONS, ENERGY AND PAPERWORKERS UNION OF CANADA

********************** Steelworkers support NDP call for Commons debate Softwood deal gives up too much to US, says Canada's largest industrial union

VANCOUVER - Speaking from British Columbia, where 50 per cent of softwood exports to the US originate, United Steelworkers' (USW) National Director Ken Neumann says the latest softwood lumber agreement is "a sell-out of Canadian interests."

Meanwhile, Neumann said the USW supports a call by NDP leader Jack Layton for an emergency session of Parliament to debate the deal. "The framework was a rush job in April to meet a false deadline and this latest signing is another move by the federal government to create a photo-op for the Prime Minister with his friend George Bush," said Neumann. "For an industry that is as important to so many people and so many communities across the country, it is an insult that David Emerson and Stephen Harper are playing these kinds of political games." The USW notes that, in addition to leaving $1-billion in uncollected duties on the table, Canada is agreeing to a tax/quota system that will likely be in place for the foreseeable future as lumber prices settle below $355 per thousand board feet. "We also have concerns about the durability of what was initially called a long-term deal," said USW Western Canada Director Steve Hunt. "We have gone from a seven-year to a nine-year deal down to a deal that the US can end after three years." "This is just bad bargaining by our federal government," said USW Ontario/Atlantic Director Wayne Fraser. "This deal was fundamentally flawed from the start and Harper and Emerson are simply trying to bully industry and the provinces into supporting it. "It is a bad deal for Ontario and for the rest of Canada."

The USW points out that Canada is currently better positioned to achieve stability through continued litigation, rather than a softwood agreement that might only last a few years and gives up provincial sovereignty over forest policy. "With the amendments that were agreed on at the last minute, the federal government has stripped away any assurances that the agreement would provide stability over the long term," said USW Quebec Director Michel Arsenault. "With $1-billion of Canadian taxpayers' money and the option to get out of the deal in two years we can only look forward to more job losses and insecurity in our forest sector." With more that 55,000 members in the forest industry across Canada, the USW will call on its members to lobby federal MPs to ensure that the current deal does not get the support from Parliament needed to enact the softwood agreement with the US.

********************* Don't sign softwood deal says CEP OTTAWA - Canada's largest union of forestry workers says the Harper government should not sign the latest softwood lumber agreement with the United States.

An analysis of the agreement reached with on the weekend, says the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, shows that the latest deal is "significantly worse" than the framework agreement announced by Prime Minister Harper in April.

The CEP analysis says:

"This treaty is worse than the framework because:

- the scope of the treaty is expanded to capture remanufacturing

- regional quotas and the surge mechanism will operate on a monthly basis, not allowing balancing of exports over long periods

- proposed "regional exemptions" would make Canadian authorities responsible to American oversight and prevent Canadian provinces from enacting progressive forest policies in the future

- the BC government is specifically prohibited from future changes to provincial policies that conflict with commitments that the Campbell government has made to the U.S.

- The U.S. will be able to abrogate the treaty after two years on three months notice - a perpetual "gun to the head" of Canada meant to intimidate the Canadian industry and policy makers

"The Canadian government should not sign this proposed treaty, and instead return to the negotiating table to get a better deal for Canada that provides stability for our industry and respects the integrity of Canadian forest policy."

CEP represents a total of 150,000 workers across Canada, with more than one third of them employed in forest related industries.

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