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But when they look at the NDP now, what do they see? A party that is entirely focused on Metro Vancouver, where almost all of its MLAs are elected and where its power base lies. A party preoccupied with urban issues like ride-hailing, electric vehicles, climate change and Lower Mainland transit. A party that relies more on the support of environmental activists than it does forestry workers.

Where was Forestry Minister Doug Donaldson while Trevena was getting grilled? Announcing a halt to logging on the B.C. side of the Skagit River Valley. You couldn’t ask for a more representative example of the NDP in 2019 — congratulatory press releases on how it is preventing trees from being logged.

Another man in the meeting room with Trevena sharpened the point: “I think this room is ready to take matters into its own hands. That’s how far behind we are. Everybody in here that’s had differences of opinions, competed against each other for all these years, is coming together and it’s not going to be to help you out if it takes this long.”

Comments like that should give the NDP great pause.

Party strategists may have convinced themselves that the collapse of the forestry sector won’t hurt the NDP’s re-election chances because it mainly affects people in rural ridings where the NDP has almost no MLAs.

But as Trevena’s meeting showed, the problem bleeds over into safe ridings like North Island, which has been reliable NDP territory for decades. If the New Democrats lose a riding like that, where do they make it up? It’s a much tougher fight to take a seat away from the Liberals in the hard-fought battleground of Metro Vancouver.