A union representing hundreds of B.C. pulp mill workers is asking for the federal government to intervene in a trade war it says is threatening to close three B.C. pulp mills and two others across Canada.

The U.S. Department of Commerce announced this week a new 22 per cent anti-dumping duty on products produced by Catalyst, which operates coastal B.C. pulp mills in Port Alberni, Crofton and Powell River, as well as two more in Newfoundland and Quebec, employing approximately 1,500 workers.

RELATED STORY:

Unifor, which represents many of those workers, fears the duties could lead to hundreds of job losses and has released a video urging the federal government to take immediate action to end the tariffs.

鈥淚 never ever would鈥檝e dreamed that Donald Trump would be affecting my livelihood,鈥� Powel River Catalyst worker Brett Vizzuti said in the posted to social media.

Unifor president Jerry Dias said U.S. President Trump is introducing 鈥渃haos鈥� into trade relations with Canada, with his latest attack on Canadian workers putting five pulp and paper mills across the nation in jeopardy of closure.

鈥淯nfair tariffs aren鈥檛 just political theatre, they鈥檙e reckless policies that will close down mills and throw hundreds of Canadians out of work,鈥� Dias said. 鈥淭his is completely unacceptable and Ottawa needs to push back hard against these heavy-handed tactics.鈥�

Dias said the tariffs have one goal in mind, to weaken Canadian paper manufactures for the benefit of U.S. producers.

鈥淯nifor has responded with a high profile campaign to fight back against Trump the bully,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e asking people to write to the federal Minister of Natural Resources Jim Carr to tell him that Canada has to hit back hard to protect our jobs.鈥�

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns said he has been working behind the scenes with Catalyst Paper and the Prime Minister鈥檚 office to find a way to help the beleaguered paper company. He said the framework for the federal government鈥檚 softwood lumber aid package should be set within the month.

鈥淭his is an issue we need government to be fighting very aggressively over,鈥� Johns said from Ottawa. 鈥淭his affects 600,000 jobs in the U.S. right now; it鈥檚 not just Canadian jobs that (trade tariffs) affect. These challenges don鈥檛 make sense. We need the prime minister to fight for us.鈥�

He said people don鈥檛 understand the seriousness of the situations and defended Unifor鈥檚 public campaign, saying it鈥檚 not alarmist to think that Catalyst may have to close its Vancouver Island plants.

鈥淚t is challenging right now. This is a company that can鈥檛 carry these heavy punitive duties, these penalties,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 sustain it forever.鈥�

In a statement released in March, Ned Dwyer, Catalysts鈥檚 president and CEO called the U.S. trade action unwarranted and without merit.

鈥淓ven with the exemption of directory paper, the remaining anti-dumping and countervailing duties are onerous and a critical cost challenge for Catalyst,鈥� Dwyer said. 鈥淭hey pose a threat to our competitiveness and the sustainability of our business and we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves against them.鈥�

Jon Lefebure, mayor the Municipality of North Cowichan where the Crofton mill is located, said increasing costs could drastically hamper Crofton鈥檚 profitability, leading to layoffs and even its complete closure.

鈥淚 think the mill can withstand these increased costs for awhile, but the fear is that if these punitive tariffs continue, the mill will be priced out of business,鈥� Lefebure said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a major concern because the Crofton mill is the biggest employer in the region outside of School District 79.鈥�

Lefebure said the Crofton mill is such a big operation, running it full-time, even if it is taking financial losses, might be cheaper than shutting it down until its products are more financially viable in the marketplace.

鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly a difficult economic situation for our mill,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a fair tariff and is not justified. It鈥檚 really just a bully tactic. Catalyst has fought similar battles with unfair tariffs in the past, and we hope the company is successful again.鈥�

鈥� with a file from Susie Quinn, Alberni Valley News

robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Like us on and follow us on