From Port Alberni to Thunder Bay, from Cote-Nord to Pictou County, today's workers want to build a sustainable industry for a prosperous future. But unfair trade is pushing this proud sector and the families that work in it to the brink.

Nearly 200 mills have closed in just four years, taking 111,000 direct and indirect jobs with them —and Stephen Harper has made a bad situation worse. His softwood lumber sell-out to the US gives up on years of trade rulings in our favour, gives up on $1-billion taken from Canadians, and replaces illegal tariffs with unwelcome border taxes. And by exempting raw logs shipped to US mills, the deal disadvantages Canadian processing and the quality jobs it can support.

Since his sell-out, Harper has ignored chance after chance to support struggling forestry communities and producers. Yet he found $50-billion to spend on corporate tax cuts for profitable banks and oil companies that don't need the help.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

It’s time for a Prime Minister who will put you and your family first. A Prime Minister who’s ready to fight for fair trade—and for a sustainable industry where more local processing means more family-supporting jobs.

Jack Layton will be that Prime Minister.

Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

Stephen Harper can't be trusted.

• His US softwood deal gives up on $1-billion taken from our producers, replaces illegal US tariffs with a 15% border tax, and squeezes Canadian processing jobs by exempting raw logs shipped to US mills.
• He broke his promise to provide loan guarantees for struggling producers—and squandered $50-billion instead on corporate tax cuts for banks, big oil, and other profitable corporations.
• He even tried to play political games with emergency aid for one-sector towns—threatening to withhold the $1-billion Community Development Trust unless opposition MPs agreed to keep him  in power indefinitely.
• His Conservative MPs voted down the November 2007 motion to tackle the forestry crisis by reviewing unfair trade and improving worker and regional transition programs.

Stephane Dion is not the change we need.

• By instructing his MPs to skip key votes, he rubber-stamped Harper's plan to squander $50-billion on corporate tax cuts instead of investing in working families—and let  Harper defeat the November 2007 motion to tackle the forestry crisis.
• While publicly opposing the softwood sellout, Liberal MPs helped push it through committee over NDP objections—and then Liberal Senators quietly rubber-stamped the deal in a matter of hours. That's not the change we need.

Jack Layton's New Democrats: Putting you and your family first.

This election, Jack Layton and his team of New Democrats have a plan to work with governments, industry, labour and First Nations for a sustainable, community-supporting forestry sector. Already, Layton's team has led the way in Parliament:

• Supported the November 2007 motion to tackle the forestry crisis by reviewing unfair trade, supports for workers, and diversification programs for forestry regions.
• Successfully pressured Harper to stop playing games with a $1-billion emergency fund for one-sector towns—bringing the Community Development Trust to Parliament for a vote to get the assistance flowing.
• Consistently demanded that the US respect NAFTA tribunal rulings on illegal lumber tariffs—and unanimously opposed Harper’s softwood sell-out in Parliament.
• Led calls for government to sit down with business and labour to develop a sustainable Canadian forestry policy based on fair trade, smart investment, sustainable harvesting, and decisive responses to threats like the pine beetle epidemic.
• When Harper cancelled public hearings on the softwood deal, New Democrats held public meetings across Canada to work with affected workers, businesses and community leaders on a better way forward.