Often, before an earthquake happens, people and animals can feel “tremors” in the earth. The Italians describe this phenomena as “la terra trema,” which translates into English as “the earth trembles”.

 

Well, the earth was “trembling” in northern British Columbia last week. On May 23, laid off mill workers in Mackenzie, a small BC town of about 4,200 people, organized a huge rally -1,000 people strong - to protest the massive layoffs and plant shutdowns in the community.

 

This rally, which is one of the biggest that Northern BC has ever seen, is a tremendous accomplishment for the laid-off mill workers that spearheaded it, and will have aftershocks in the months and years to come. In a few short weeks, these women and men energized and mobilized an entire community. Even professional organizers would not have been able to accomplish what they did in such a brief period of time.

 

From the beginning, these workers made it clear that they were organizing this rally not just for themselves, but for the community as a whole, as well as other communities in northern BC and elsewhere. Indeed, a prominent slogan in the rally was: “An injury to one community, is an injury to all.” 

 

And other communities did respond. Groups of enthusiastic people from Prince George, Fort St. James, Chetwynd and other towns drove hundreds of kilometers to attend and provide their support, displaying placards and banners that read “Prince George supports Mackenzie,” “Save Our Communities,” and other slogans. 

 

What is the significance of this rally? Well, it has shattered the atmosphere of fear, hopelessness and despair that, like a dark cloud, has surrounded many mill towns in Northern BC for the last while. During this period of time, government and political leaders have seemed incapable of doing anything substantial about the severe crisis that has hit these communities. As far as the heads of the big forestry companies are concerned, they seem more preoccupied with being “the last man standing” than worried about the fate of their employees or communities.

 

Make no mistake about it. When a rally of this size and character takes place, political representatives, government officials and business leaders take notice. And so do the people of other communities who are facing similar difficulties.

 

The rally signifies that the people of Mackenzie and other towns are seizing the initiative. They are not waiting for someone else in Victoria or Ottawa to act; they are acting themselves. They are setting their own agenda. Indeed, the rally passed eleven resolutions that call for immediate assistance for laid-off workers and hard-hit communities, as well as major changes to how forestry is conducted in the region and the province.

 

The issue now is for workers and communities to build upon the river of energy that has been unleashed by the rally. More rallies can be organized in other communities. Links between groups, communities and regions can be further strengthened. 

 

In addition, over the next year, there will be elections at the municipal and provincial level in British Columbia, and most probably at the federal level as well. These elections are an excellent opportunity for forestry workers and people in forestry-based communities to set the political agenda by putting forward demands and proposals that will ensure a future for our region and the province as a whole. Indeed, it would be a breath of fresh air to see some of these workers and community activists put themselves forward as candidates.

 

Why should governments in Victoria and Ottawa, or insiders of the political parties be the ones who always seem to set the agenda? Workers, communities, rural and urban regions of the province – now is the time to stand up and be counted. La terra trema.