NDP Trade War Talk Threatens B.C. Jobs

Prince George - The NDP's reckless call for a trade war with the United States puts the future of the B.C. forest sector at grave risk, along with exports to other countries, says Forests Minister Pat Bell.

"While Carole James may offer soothing words to business leaders, the NDP's true intentions have now been revealed," says Bell. "The NDP want to provoke a trade war with our biggest trading partner. Last year, 53 per cent of our exports went to the U.S. - that's $17.6 billion worth of goods. At a time of economic uncertainty the NDP's answer is to pick a fight with our most important trading partner. A trade war means the NDP will cost workers their jobs, just to satisfy their own misguided ideology."

Bell was responding to comments from NDP forest critic Bob Simpson, who as reported by CBC radio, told a Kelowna audience the province should pursue forest policies that he admits could provoke trade sanctions and would undoubtedly escalate.

"The Softwood Lumber Agreement brings stability to our industry and our communities," says Bell. "We saw $2.4 billion returned to our industry, it reduces export taxes that used to be close to 30 per cent and returns nearly $200 million in export taxes back to government services each year. Now the NDP wants to put all that at risk. The forest sector exported $10.1 billion in wood, pulp and paper products last year and $5.6 billion went to the American market. Picking a fight with the U.S. makes no economic sense but that is the NDP's policy."

Simpson's admission of this key plank in the NDP election platform - while consistent with their earlier promise to rip up the Softwood Lumber Agreement - stands today as a direct contradiction of leader Carole James, who told the B.C. Business Council recently that: "We can try to fight a trade war with the US. We may even win the odd battle. But inevitably we will lose the war. It may not be fair, but that's the way it is. So we need to work doubly hard to make the case for open and fair trade with our neighbours. We need to work extra hard to reach out to emerging economies, to forge trust, and to open up new markets."

The BC Liberal government has worked to develop new trading relationships and the NDP's policy of provoking a trade war threatens to undermine growing relationships with countries like China and India who are offering growing markets for B.C. wood and other exports.

"It's clear the NDP have no economic plan, except picking trade wars and damaging British Columbia's international reputation," says Bell. "We need to build strong trading relationships, take advantage of being the gateway to the Asia-Pacific and create new markets for our goods. What we don't need is NDP protectionism that threatens billions in exports and thousands of jobs. Carole James may say the right words to business groups, but the NDP have the wrong policies for B.C.'s future."
 
James and the NDP also continue to advocate for job-killing policies that would further reduce government revenues including imposing a crippling "windfall tax" on the oil and gas sector, putting a moratorium on IPPs and levying $450 million a year in new wage costs on small business.