BC Liberals Push Working Forest 'Enabling' Legislation Through Its Second Read

This move to ram through the Working Forest privatization agenda falls on the heels of recent resolutions passed by both the Tofino Chamber of Commerce and unanimously passed by all members of the Tofino Town Council against the Working Forest Initiative. Both of these bodies, for the sake of Tofino's lucrative multi-million dollar tourism industry, have asked the BC government not to implement the Working Forest Initiative in Clayoquot Sound. This makes Tofino the second community so far, after the Islands Trust, to pass a resolution against the implementation of the Working Forest Initiative in their region. In addition, yesterday in Prince George, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, the First Nations Treaty Summit, and dozens of First Nations bands representing the vast majority of First Nations bands in BC signed a joint statement against the Campbell government's Working Forest Initiative and other forestry privatization policies and legislation. "Virtually all of the BC public, every First Nations band that was consulted with, local community governments in Tofino and the Gulf Islands, many forestry workers, all environmental organizations, all recreational interests consulted, trappers, and now tourism businesses through the Chamber of Commerce in Tofino are saying NO to Campbell's Working Forest", states Ken Wu, executive director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee in Victoria. "In fact, the government's own report on its public consultation process states that 97% of 2700 respondents rejected their Working Forest proposal, while only 1% supported it. Yet they continue to push forward. This is a Dark Day for Democracy and for Beautiful, Super Natural BC." http://media.wildernesscommittee.org/news/2003/10/604.php Here's the Land Amendment Act: http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/37th4th/1st_read/gov46-1.htm & maybe I'll look up Joy MacPhail's defence up once the Hansard gets posted up on the Legislative Assembly site.