What about this softwood lumber thing? What's up with that? Well, as I understand it, here's the deal . Canada exports quite a lot of lumber to the US, in fact, one third of all lumber in the US comes from Canada. Of that amount, a large proportion of it comes from BC. Okay. So BC exports quite a lot of lumber to the States. There is some sort of special interest group in the States, who, I suppose, are looking to improve the economic situation of the forestry industry in the States or something, and they have convinced the American government to lay duties or taxes or whatever, on Canadian lumber coming into the US. Some 33% in taxes in fact. Pretty hefty. As a result, Canadian lumber is quite expensive in the States. They buy less of our lumber, and because of this, over 10000 forestry workers have been laid off in BC. Serious stuff. Everybody in BC is getting all riled up about it, and going to Ottawa to try and convince the feds to fight this tax. Ottawa called them "nervous nellies".

What do I think about all this? Well, I'm not entirely sure. Under the terms of NAFTA, isn't this a violation? I believe so. But on the other hand, I'm against NAFTA. So is this good? Or is it bad? One thing that is definitely bad (in my view) is the lack of response this situation is receiving in Ottawa. To dismiss over 10000 jobs lost as "nervous nellies' is not only insulting, it's also ridiculous. The numbers are right there. 10000 is not an unsignificant number. Yet another case of the centrally oriented federal government.

I also don't know if I agree with the loggers. If I were them, I'd try to get myself retrained, and find a new job. I think that the forestry industry is dying, and needs to be revitalized. But I don't think that British Columbians should be leaning towards being in forestry as heavily as they are. I don't really agree with such things. And as well, I just have problems with the whole forestry industry. I would prefer BC to move into a more technological direction. I don't really know. I'm muddled up. All I know is, this sucks!

well, if bc b//c a more technological industry-based, then we would b//c like the city of ottawa: less laid-back, relaxed and there would be a constant influx/shift of people and we'd be more reliant on companies like nortel to keep the city's economy afloat...

but yes, on the other hand, it'd be nice to be able to find a good job in the technological field in bc. it's so hard and it forces many people to look elsewhere.

im not entirely sure the loggers want to get retrained or find a new job. i useta work for the pension company that provided for a lot of the forestry workers; many of them are either physically injured in one way or another, or theyre so useta doing something one way that it's hard to learn another skill (esp in technology) and i fidn that the older one gets, the harder it is to be retrained. and boy, are their pension plans ever good! :)

oh yeah, and if we export less lumber, then we'd be saving trees, so maybe the tax is somewhat beneficial afterall, as we seem to be running low on natural resources...

me

I realize that most loggers would not want to change their jobs. I don't think I told them to. I just said that if I were a logger, I would try to find something else.

The problem, I think, is that logging is a primary industry, and really, there's only so far you can go with primary industries, as a province. Economically, it's not really advantageous to be a primarily resource based economy. That's why, in general, third world countries have very much resource based economies, and as they move closer to first world, they get away from that kind of thing.

I also disagree with your comments on the nature of technological industry. Forestry has always been an industry where there is a great deal of itinerant work. Resource based economies do tend to be like that. Industrial economies tended to be a bit more stable. And I guess that with this technological revolution, it's getting more itinerant again. But what about Nortel? Well, wouldn't you say that MacMillan Bloedel for like half a century held a similar position in BC's economy? And I honestly don't see where you get that forestry produces laid back relaxed people.

And lastly, your comments about less trees being cut down.....yes, I would be in support of that. I'm a cultural creative, remember?

Cal

re laid backedness.

seems like cities that are higher in companies that are based on technology, are less "laid-back" as i am told time and time again. ppl move to bc to work and they complain that it's too "laid back" (which i don't understand why it's a bad thing) and they move back to where they come from..it's a bizarre phenomenon.

even though macmillan bloedel affected bc's economy, it didnt really affect everyone on a personal level (across canada, esp stock holders) or as drastically.

Me, yet again.

You say that Nortel affected everyone on a personal level across Canada. I just don't agree with that. I am a Canadian. I don't feel that I've been affected by Nortel's problems. Obviously if I had shares of Nortel, I would feel differently. But that sort of thing happens all the time. If I had had shares in Bre-X a few years ago, I would have been personally affected. You might say that oh, well when Nortel got messed up, the whole TSE got messed up. Well, it's like this. Nortel was overpriced, and that is what made the TSE rise to such lofty heights. When it fell, then the TSE fell back to where it should have been. Nortel is symptomatic of the downturn in the economy as a whole, in particular the technology industry. It is perhaps the most glaring example, because it is so famous and so big. But it certainly is not a cause of the current recession.

Cal

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