Without a response from the government, the Quebec forest industry is back on the attack and is asking for help from the federal government and Quebec to get through the forest fires that have disrupted its activities.

After demands left “unanswered,” groups comprised of labor and industry representatives spoke directly to Prime Ministers Justin Trudeau and Francois Legault asking for immediate help Wednesday at a press conference in Roberval.

“Workers, businesses and forestry contractors are still left to their own devices to deal with the consequences of forest fires,” laments the director general of the Quebec Federation of Forest Cooperatives, Annie Beaupré.

In particular, we are asking for help for seasonal workers. In Quebec, 3,400 workers hold seasonal jobs in the industry. Generally, these workers succeed in accumulating enough hours of work to be eligible for employment insurance during the period of seasonal unemployment.

“We still do not understand why there are no measures announced to help workers,” laments Ms. Beaupré.

In a context of labor scarcity, companies simply risk losing some workers who will not want to take the risk of not being eligible for seasonal unemployment, warns the Quebec director of the Unifor union, Daniel Cloutier. “Many will not qualify. They’re not going to stay on hold. They will go to work elsewhere. »