The deep divisions now being demonstrated once again by the softwood industry and the Provincial authorities has been a major stumbling block for Canada in resolving the softwood lumber dispute over the years. Canadian participants are too busy jockeying for position within Canada to actually arrive at a unified approach to dealing with the problem.

The legal victories, which have been significant, do not stop the Americans from starting over tomorrow. They could rightly say, we may not have brought forward the right evidence to prove threat of injury in 2001 but this is 2006, the circumstances are different, and now there really is a threat of injury.

Canada's victories have been legal ones precisely because the self-indulgent fractiousness demonstrated by Canadian industry and government has prevented them from achieving any political victories in the United States.

NAFTA and WTO rules overridden by USA political machinations?

Might is right? Give me a break; we better leave NAFTA now before the complete trilateral take-over has become irreversible.

No one says we have to sell the lumber to them.... they would like real good living in a cave don't ya think

Besides benefiting from the jobs that may come from the industries developed around the beatle kill, who will most benefit from harvesting 'our' resources? Big companies? Will they give back to the communities, or will the profits go to companies whose shareholders may in the majority live in the US or other countries? Is our nationhood in jeopardy and under seige by free trade agreements, through the WTO and the globalization of 'free' resources, to the benefit of those who have the means to grab them?

I guess what I'm asking, how will an equitable distribution of wealth be accomplished, through unfettered capitalism, through unfettered marketplace economics, through market place supply and demand? Are our industries and communities sustainable in the long run? Will we have something left to give our children and grandchildren in the future? Has it come to the point where it matters more what company you invest in and how much stock you own than in the government you elect and the common democratic ideals we share as citizens? Has corporatism replaced the nation state and democracy? Has the term 'citizen' been replaced by 'shareholder'?

Can Premier Campbell address these questions, for us, for our children? We need a vision of a prosperours future, not just in terms of economic wealth, but concern too for the environment, for the welfare of all people, and especially for the less fortunate, -- we need hope, we demand answers.

Besides benefiting from the jobs that may come from the industries developed around the beatle kill, who will most benefit from harvesting 'our' resources? Big companies? Will they give back to the communities, or will the profits go to companies whose shareholders may in the majority live in the US or other countries? Is our nationhood in jeopardy and under seige by free trade agreements, through the WTO and the globalization of 'free' resources, to the benefit of those who have the means to grab them?

I guess what I'm asking, how will an equitable distribution of wealth be accomplished, through unfettered capitalism, through unfettered marketplace economics, through market place supply and demand? Are our industries and communities sustainable in the long run? Will we have something left to give our children and grandchildren in the future? Has it come to the point where it matters more what company you invest in and how much stock you own than in the government you elect and the common democratic ideals we share as citizens? Has corporatism replaced the nation state and democracy? Has the term 'citizen' been replaced by 'shareholder'?

Can Premier Campbell address these questions, for us, for our children? We need a vision of a prosperours future, not just in terms of economic wealth, but concern too for the environment, for the welfare of all people, and especially for the less fortunate, -- we need hope, we demand answers.