The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
It looks like our resource industries may be getting some of the focus they deserve from the federal government. Only a few weeks ago the federal government was insisting that our economic fundamentals in Canada were good. Clearly we were headed for an economic slowdown. When everyone else was recognizing the need for an economic stimulus they brought in a fiscal update without any stimulus. When it came to identifying sectors needing attention there was mention of the auto sector but nothing about our resource sectors. This was despite the fact that both mining and forestry were clearly being hard hit by the global recession. The need to assist our resource based economies was a key priority for our caucus and was a central part of the proposed coalition platform. Over the last few days the Federal government is finally signaling that they may now focus in on forestry and mining in the upcoming budget. This is exactly what we have been calling for. Our resource sectors are particularly vulnerable to the global recession because they are so much a part of global markets. They are also very vulnerable to the financial crisis. Mining in particular has been hit by the instability in credit markets. Forestry is still suffering from unfair treatment under the softwood lumber agreement. I make no apologies for calling for attention to our resource sectors. It is not a question of handouts. Our resource sectors have paid more than their fair share of taxes over the years. It is a question of getting something back. It is also about getting the federal government to the table. When the agreement was reached three years ago to keep Tolko operating in The Pas, the town, the province and the labour movement were all part of the solution. The federal government was nowhere to be seen. Whether it be in terms of forestry or mining in the North, we need support for these critical sectors and for resource communities and families. It looks we may finally be getting some attention after all. No matter what happens I will be continuing to fight for our communities.
