International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appear before you today to represent the approximately 2,000 skilled workers of the Shipyard General Workers’ Federation of B.C., who work in the shipyards, marine manufacturing and supply industries, and metal fabrication shops in British Columbia’s c

International Trade committee  We looked at the B.C. ferry project on its own and those three vessels that went to Germany. Those three vessels, built over a period of four years, involved 5,000 jobs--direct and indirect jobs--that were lost to Canada. They were lost to Canada because clearly the provincial

International Trade committee  We've not done a proper analysis as to what the impact of the agreement with Korea will be. But we've worked very closely with the federal government for the last two and a half decades to try to formulate a policy that would make some sense going forward for our industry. We're

International Trade committee  We've had no prior consultation with the government on this trade agreement. We were aware during the transition of government that the EFTA agreement was going on, and we put forward our concerns regarding that deal. Since then the committee we sat on from the shipbuilding indus

International Trade committee  We're looking at this as just another nail in the coffin for an industry that's been struggling for the last 30 or 40 years in this country because of a lack of true, clear policy for the industry. The criminal part of this whole agreement and of the agreements that have already

International Trade committee  As far as we're aware, the subsidy in the industry in Korea has been as high as 30%. It could be higher in other areas. The massive amount of money the government has put into this industry in Korea in the last seven or eight decades is the difference when we look at Korea. If

International Trade committee  We've had really no support to protect the industry to move it forward. And that's been the problem. I made the example of the St. Lawrence Seaway as well. If you look at the St. Lawrence, the St. Lawrence is longer than the Atlantic Ocean is wide. And yet Quebec is struggling

International Trade committee  I guess your question is centred around the four ferries that are currently under construction in Germany and what that duty money would mean to British Columbia.

International Trade committee  I'm not sure if the Government of Canada could actually direct that money to British Columbia, but if it could it would go directly into the infrastructure in the B.C. economy for the shipyards themselves, which would start the tooling process, which would enhance the apprentices

International Trade committee  For the most part, it's a lack of policy, both federally and provincially. But clearly the industry is focused on the federal government, to try to set clear policies coast to coast. We're trying to level the playing field within Canada itself. To do that, we need the federal gov

International Trade committee  No, I'm not aware of that.

International Trade committee  Certainly our preference is to halt trade talks at this point and come back and have consultation with industries that are clearly affected, ours being one of them. We think before the talks go forward and before an agreement is put in place, there has to be clear consultation wi

International Trade committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appear before you today to represent approximately 2,000 skilled members of the Shipyard General Workers' Federation of British Columbia who work in the shipyards, in marine manufacturing and supply industries, and in metal fabrication shops in British

International Trade committee  I believe that shipbuilding has a very strong possibility of survival, but the government really has to come to the table and make some hard decisions, and they have to do that very quickly. We've been trying since Minister Tobin structured the committee back in 2000, with a repo

International Trade committee  Many people have told you that.