NDP unveils $105M plan to revive forestry sector

Tom Mulcair says the NDP will pump $105 million over three years intoprograms aimed at making Canada's forestry sector more competitive.

The NDP leader made the announcement Friday during a campaign stop at a forestry college in thesmall town of Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier near Quebec City.

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"We will make a series of crucial investments over three years to protect and create forestry jobs right across this great country of ours and secure a long-term future for our communities," Mulcair said.

The funding promise came the morning after the French-language debate, in whichMulcair accused Conservative Leader Stephen Harper of allowing manufacturing andother vital economic sectorsto languishwhile focusing all of hisattention on the oil and gas industry.

In a line he hasalso used in English, Mulcair accused Harper of"putting all the eggs in one basket, and then dropping the basket."

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The $105 million would go toward modernizing manufacturing and promotingCanadian forestryproducts overseas, Mulcair said.

The NDP plan also aims to cut greenhouse gases emittedby the industryby investing in research and development that will explore alternatives to petroleum products.

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The NDP saidthat based on performance of existing programs,the new money could be expected to leverageabout $270 million inprivate sector funds.

Background material provided by the NDP says Canada's forest industry has been hit with a number of challenges in the past few years, including declining demand for newsprint, increased global competitionand invasive insects. The $58-billion-a-yearindustry is one of Canada's biggest employers, generatingabout 230,000 direct jobs forCanadians, the NDP notes.

With a little over three weeks to go until the Oct. 19 election and with Quebec akey battleground,Harper also headed deeper into the province on Friday,visiting Rivire-du-Loup.