NDP leader John Horgan has started his election campaign on the state of B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 forest industry, hinting that Premier Christy Clark should replace her trade minister and 香蕉视频直播渞etool香蕉视频直播� for a lumber battle with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

At a campaign-style event in Vancouver Tuesday, Horgan also took aim at B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 biggest forest companies for buying sawmills in the United States as B.C. mills shut down.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I look at what some of the major forest companies in British Columbia have been doing in the last number of years, they haven香蕉视频直播檛 been reinvesting their profits in British Columbia, they香蕉视频直播檝e been buying U.S. assets,香蕉视频直播� Horgan said. 香蕉视频直播淐anfor, Interfor, West Fraser have been purchasing U.S. interests rather than reinvesting here in British Columbia.香蕉视频直播�

Clark and Forests Minister Steve Thomson also heard from coastal industry representatives, as the annual Truck Loggers Association opened in Vancouver Wednesday.

香蕉视频直播淩ecent industry polling tells us that two in three Coastal British Columbians feel government should be doing more to support the forest industry,香蕉视频直播� said David Elstone, TLA executive director.

Jobs Minister Shirley Bond acknowledged that forest and other resource communities have lost jobs in B.C., while the urban southwest enjoys an employment boom. She said the softwood lumber agreement was among the first issues raised by Clark when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected, and Thomson and new federal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland are in regular contact.

香蕉视频直播淭o suggest otherwise is simply wrong, and it香蕉视频直播檚 a little late for the leader of the opposition to be talking about expanding our market share,香蕉视频直播� Bond said. 香蕉视频直播淥ur marketing efforts in China have seen a 2,000 per cent increase in B.C. softwood lumber exports from 2003 to 2014. And suddenly, the leader of the opposition is going to come up with a marketing strategy?香蕉视频直播�

Horgan appeared with Steelworkers香蕉视频直播� Union Local 2009 president Manjit Sidhu, who said he has seen steady decline since he started working at Hammond Cedar in Maple Ridge in 1973. The world香蕉视频直播檚 largest cedar mill, owned by Interfor, is down to a single shift because of a lack of logs, he said.

香蕉视频直播淭he Steelworkers have John Horgan香蕉视频直播檚 back, because John Horgan has the Steelworkers香蕉视频直播� and the B.C. forest industry香蕉视频直播檚 back,香蕉视频直播� Sidhu said.

B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 lumber sales to China have declined since a 2014 peak, when they briefly exceeded U.S. exports. China has increasingly turned to Russian lumber since the ruble was devalued in 2015.