Concerned for the tens of thousands of workers they represent, the major unions in the forestry industry are asking the Quebec government to emerge from its torpor in the face of the “unprecedented crisis” that threatens jobs, the industry and the regions.
“The bleeding has to stop,” exclaimed Daniel Cloutier, Quebec director of Unifor, which is affiliated with the FTQ, in an interview. Unifor alone represents 15,000 workers in the industry.
American countervailing duties on lumber, forest fires, climate change and the protection of woodland caribou; the challenges facing the forestry industry mean that Quebec must “act urgently,” these union organizations have argued.
Quebec must adopt a real industrial policy for the forest, with a transition fund dedicated to the forest, measures to support the development of the second and third transformations of wood, the diversification and use of wood. In the short term, it will also be necessary to support workers affected by closures and consolidations.
The union leader also advocates for an ongoing dialogue on the forest. “It takes leadership from the government. We have lost 30,000 jobs in the last 20 years,” lamented Mr. Cloutier, who denounces the slowness of the Quebec government to act.
“No need for a constitutional quibble”
But he also criticizes the federal government, which is making the situation worse with its ultimatums and its decree on the protection of the woodland caribou. “We didn’t need a constitutional quarrel” on top of all the upheavals the industry is experiencing, thunders Mr. Cloutier.
“Job losses of 14,000, dozens of workplaces closed, communities affected, Témiscamingue in danger, northern Abitibi in danger, Gaspésie in danger, Côte-Nord in danger. We think they have the right figures. Now, is that really what they want to rush into at this time? Because we don’t need that either,” exclaimed Mr. Cloutier.
The four major organizations that represent the tens of thousands of unionized workers in the industry in Quebec – Unifor and the Metalworkers, both affiliated with the FTQ, as well as the Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD) and the Fédération de l’industrie manufacturière, affiliated with the CSN – thus made a joint outing on Tuesday in Quebec City to demand that Quebec finally take action.
“Discussions must be held openly, in broad daylight, and not be reduced to secret negotiations between private companies and the government. Workers must be involved; it is their jobs and the vitality of their communities that are at stake,” argued Dominic Lemieux, Quebec director of the Steelworkers union, Luc Vachon, president of the CSD, and Kevin Gagnon, president of the Manufacturing Industry Federation, alongside Mr. Cloutier.
Minister criticizes Ottawa
The Minister of Natural Resources and Forests, Maïté Blanchette Vézina, once again pointed the finger at the federal government for the “layer of uncertainty” it has added to the “economic context that is not easy” for the industry, with its intention to protect the woodland caribou by decree.
“We will be able to sit down when the threat of a decree is withdrawn,” she said.
When a reporter asked her if her ministry was still in discussions with the federal government on the matter, she replied: “We are still in communication channels.”