MONTRÉAL – New Democrat Leader Jack Layton, along with Deputy Leader and Finance Critic Thomas Mulcair (Outremont) are calling on Shell Canada to end their plan to transform the East Montreal refinery into a storage unit. This decision would cut 500 jobs plus another 1000 jobs in related industrial sectors.

During a press conference held at the Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) Local 121 offices, Layton and Mulcair showed their support for the crisis. They met with a committee established by local politicians and businesses to save the jobs, which are key to the economic growth of Greater Montreal.

“The Federal Government can pressure Shell to delay converting the refinery, in order to allow enough time for potential buyers to prepare a buyout plan to make sure the industry survives in the long run,” said Layton. “Montreal, Quebec and all of Eastern Canada could lose valuable expertise in the petrochemical industry. We’ll also compromise our own energy security if Shell goes through with this plan.”

“These are important jobs for the economic development of Eastern Montreal,” added Mulcair. “This refinery is profitable, and even though we need to rely less on oil, there is still a demand. We have two choices: either we control how we use the resources at hand, or we ship our jobs and the control we have over our resources to the United States. For New Democrats, the choice is simple, and that is why we came to support the union’s actions and the local initiatives.”