2009-05-15
14:09:55
Forestry was on the agenda both at Queen's Park and Ottawa yesterday.
Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton continued to question why the province has not offered AbitibiBowater similar restructuring funding given to Chrysler Canada.
"AbitibiBowater is also undergoing financial restructuring and 4,000 good jobs are at risk in communities like Thunder Bay," said Hampton, "yet the McGuinty Liberals have not advanced one penny in that financial restructuring. My question: Why is the McGuinty government completely missing in action in the financial restructuring of AbitibiBowater."
Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield says the province provided more than 150-million to the forestry company prior to its bankruptcy filing, and would be there to work with them as it works through its financial challenges.
In the House of Commons, the Harper government was attacked for not providing assistance to small businesses and suppliers impacted by the bankruptcy filings of both Abitibi-Bowater and Buchanan Forest Products.
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says many small business in the district have been short-changed by both companies.
"The government's neglect of the forestry sector has hurt communities, workers, pensioners and now small companies," said Rafferty. "Small companies like T&M Logging in Atikokan are owed, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars by large bankrupt corporations like AbitibiBowater and Buchanan Forest Products. The proposed business credit availability program will be inaccessible to these smaller companies because they need overdraft limits of at least $400,000 to even apply. Where is the small in small business?"
Rafferty says the forestry crisis has also hit workers, pensioners and communities.
