Liberal Leader Jean Charest said he's optimistic the province's forestry sector will regain its footing with the province's help.
Charest talked forestry during a campaign stop in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region, where he spent part of the weekend touring towns to shore up support for Liberal candidates.
In the town of Roberval, Charest talked up the Liberal Party's 2006 multimillion-dollar forestry aid package, which provides help to local mills and laid-off workers.
Nearly 1,000 workers in the area have lost their jobs because of mill closures and production slowdowns. More than 10,000 Quebec forest workers have been laid off in the last 18 months.
Charest reminded his supporters that problems plaguing the forest products industry are related to wider trends shaking up the global market, which will eventually correct itself.
The Liberal leader took a similar message to Abitibi over the weekend, where he was met by angry forestry workers.
About 50 unionized workers blocked Charest's campaign bus in Val d'Or on Saturday, demanding a private meeting with the Liberal leader, and a promise he'll help them make their jobs secure.
Local Liberal candidate Daniel Bernard said problems in the region can't be blamed on the last government.
"We did the best that we could, at the right time," Bernard told CBC, adding he's optimistic laid-off workers will find jobs in the region's mining industry, which is experiencing growth and is on a hiring binge.
Local union representatives have said mining is a limited option for forestry workers because of limited space in training programs, a situation Charest said a Liberal government would remedy.
"We know there are opportunities there for people who are in the forestry sector," the Liberal leader said Saturday.
PQ blames forestry crisis on Ottawa
Parti Québécois Leader André Boisclair visited Abitibi on Monday, where he blamed Quebec's forestry woes on Canada's federal system.
"In the federal system, in which we're still stuck, if I want to help workers on welfare, I have to go on a pilgrimage to Ottawa," Boisclair told a crowd of PQ supporters gathered in Malartic.
"I can't wait to have one pilgrimage, if we're talking about Quebec's future. That pilgrimage is the road towards our nation's capital, and that's Quebec City, not Ottawa," the PQ leader said in his French speech.
A sovereign Quebec would do a better job of managing forest land, Boisclair said.
"Sovereignty won't help trees grow faster, but it could allow us to adopt more coherent policies without having to go through these negotiations in Ottawa as though Ottawa is giving us a gift."
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 48 | 0 | 48 | 33.08% |
| ADQ | 41 | 0 | 41 | 30.80% |
| PQ | 36 | 0 | 36 | 28.32% |
| QS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.65% |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.89% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .26% |
| Last Update:March 27, 12:52:21 AM EDT | ||||
Quebec Votes 2007 Headlines »
- Que. Liberals take minority win with grain of salt
- Quebec Premier Jean Charest said he'll build bridges with the Parti Québécois and the Action Démocratique du Québec to ensure a stable minority government.
- Dumont will work with Quebec Premier Charest
- Quebec's new Opposition Leader Mario Dumont said he wants stability at the national assembly and pledged to work with the Liberal minority government on a case-by-case basis.
- Boisclair remains at helm after PQ finishes 3rd
- André Boisclair is staying on as leader of the Parti Québécois and vowed to help rebuild the fractured party after it suffered major losses in Monday's provincial election.
- Quebec election result 'good news' for Canada: PM
- Stephen Harper says voters in the Quebec election have used their ballots to reject calls for another referendum in a "great result" for Canada.
- Charest keeps seat as Liberals cling to power in Quebec
- Quebecers are waking up to a minority Liberal government — the first minority in the province in 130 years — and a new official Opposition.