Not even a head-cold nightmare could stop me from entering the fray after it was announced that Canfor was to close PG pulp. This is a betrayal of our entire community that has faithfully served the demands of lumber barons for decades. However, as our world circles the drain of late capitalism, it is not unexpected. Thankfully the solution to our crisis is clear and it also offers us a first step towards asserting the autonomy of Northern B.C.
In case it wasn’t abundantly clear to you by now, neither Victoria nor the leaders of the Canfor (as well as a host of other flagship companies) care one wit about us. As far as they are concerned, we don’t just live beyond Hope, BC - we live in a dying part of the country, where both the population as well as their means of making a living are on the decline. The name of the game is “rip and ship” - extract as much value as possible, then get out before it all crashes.
We must also understand that our tools to correct Victoria or Canfor are entirely broken. Our MLAs were in government for most of the mismanagement that has taken place in our forests. Now our ridings are overshadowed by the population rich Lower Mainland, which means we will never have the influence necessary to change course. There is no chance of us owning majority shares in Canfor and strikes, legal or not, will fail to intimidate Canfor’s leadership.
What is to be done?
Bluntly put, we seize the means of production by the backdoor, with the Lheidli T'enneh’s “unceded territory” rhetoric as our unchallengeable wedge. From the crack this makes in the entire narrative - that Canfor never really benefited the people living here with most of the profits going elsewhere (hey, that’s colonialism!) - and they never had the permission of the local band in the first place - the political and logistical maneuvering is self-explanatory.
Prince George mayor and council, not wanting to be seen as behind the times, will have to tell Canfor that upon the cessation of operations in March, the land will be yielded to the local band. If anyone at Canfor starts squawking, mayor and council are welcome to remind them that there are other properties that could be seized. Indeed, it would be too bad to see all of Mr. Pattison’s local enterprises suddenly having problems with their business licenses at Patricia Boulevard.
Meanwhile, a deal will be struck directly with the union at PG Pulp to retain workers with the proviso that a certain makeup of the workforce must be Indigenous. These jobs in turn will help prosperity improve for band members, which will multiply new band-based businesses, cultural celebrations, etc. Eventually, it is not unlikely that the workforce will represent the true Western intersection from Timmins to Terrace: working class old stock and Indigenous peoples.
Perhaps this all seems rapid, but one must strike while the iron is hot. While the rest of the Western provinces are ready to push out Ottawa’s influence, Premier David Eby, who did not even get elected within his party, is welcoming more federal influence all the time. That does not help any of us - not in our pocketbooks, not in affordability, not in a sense of pride about who we are or where we come from. Our national and provincial capitals do not care about our problems.
But unlike the rest of the Western provinces, British Columbia is a series of river valleys - suspicious of outsiders and almost as cantankerous with one another as they are with the folks in Vancouver, Victoria, or Ottawa. There is no one sovereignty act that can fix B.C. or satisfy its citizens. Like all other agreements, particularly the MOUs that have been made with Indigenous bands in this province, it will need to be piecemeal, gradual, organic, and community-centered.
PG Pulp’s imminent closure offers an opportunity for us to demonstrate moving forward as a community by bringing ownership of our resources and industries back to the local level via First Nations.
Are we brave enough to set that example and take charge of our region’s future?
Nathan Giede is a Prince George writer.
