Thursday, March 10, 2005

OTTAWA – Jay Hill, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River and Official Opposition House Leader, said he is disappointed by reports today that federal Natural Resources Minister John Efford is refusing to expedite a federal aid package to address BC’s Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic.

“Minister Efford’s failure to understand the severity of the mountain pine beetle crisis was evident during an emergency debate in the House of Commons in December,” said Hill. “Now however, it seems he’s turning his back on the BC forestry industry and its workers who have been devastated by the destruction of 4.1 million hectares of forest since 1993.”

Hill suggested the delay is due to the fact that the Liberal cabinet cannot agree on whether to allocate resources to battle the Mountain Pine Beetle crisis. “Industry Minister David Emerson has said an aid package would be coming soon, but with all due respect, he’s relatively new to a cabinet that has steadfastly refused to tackle this crisis for years.”

Hill added, “Prime Minister Paul Martin needs to show some leadership by putting an end to the in-fighting in his cabinet so it can do what’s needed to save an industry that drives 25 percent of BC’s economy!”

-30-

For more information, please contact:
Jay Hill, M.P. (613) 947-4524 or (250) 787-119