What kind of Arctic do we need for the world to remain liveable?
The evolution of human beings as a species has depended on a frozen Arctic. But the North Pole as a frozen ice cap on the top of the world is now in doubt. The rapidly melting Arctic—measured in loss of sea ice, melting permafrost, and temperature surges in mid-winter—is a threat to climate stability globally. […]
Plan to scrap TB in North will need Inuit trust, collaboration, says Philpott
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott says that treating Inuit tuberculosis patients within their own communities with an Indigenous-led plan will help to rebuild trust in the health-care system and allow the government to eradicate the disease in the North by 2030, but opposition critics say the plan is unrealistic based on the government’s timeline and […]
Northerners deserve a government that has their back
Last time I had the opportunity to write for the Hill Times, I spoke of the fortitude and resilience of Canadian northerners. The pristine land and waters north of the 60th parallel are full of stunning beauty, but also unique challenges. The Conservative Party, led by Andrew Scheer, believes that the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the […]
New Senate Arctic committee to support Canada’s North
Canada needs a clear plan to develop and strengthen our Arctic. Senators are helping to provide one. Canada is one of just eight countries with Arctic territory, which is greatly increasing in strategic importance as melting sea ice opens up new commercial shipping opportunities. Despite this, Parliament has never had a committee dedicated to studying […]
Feds say they’re listening to northerners as they review food subsidies, oil and gas exploration rules, Arctic policy
Despite Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett saying more than a year ago that it was “urgent” that the federal government overhaul the Nutrition North Canada food subsidy program, the government is still looking at a final report reviewing the program and developing options to transform it. “We are currently reviewing the final […]
We’re moving forward on northern development
I believe three coordinating pieces are necessary for northern development to better proceed: governance evolution, social investment, and economic development. Reviewing the actions our government has taken so far during our mandate, I am pleased to see forward and positive movement on all of these fronts. In the governance arena, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and […]
Territorial Development
Infrastructure, tourism, arts key to Yukon’s success
There are many challenges for governments to provide quality of life for northern and Arctic people on par with that of southern Canada. There are great expanses of cold or frozen landscapes, there’s a small tax base to fund infrastructure, freezing and thawing permafrost that undermines buildings and highways, and a great distance from supplies and […]
Establish northern university, feds hear, as Arctic policy framework talks wrap
It’s early days yet for the government’s Arctic policy framework, but the idea of an Arctic university has already emerged as a popular frontrunner to increase northern economic development and share Canadian expertise in the region with the rest of the world. Canada is the only Arctic nation without a university physically in the North, […]
Political realities will turn Notley against Trudeau
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The most improbable political alliance in Canadian history is coming to a predictably inglorious end. I’m talking, of course, about the “Entente Cordiale” that was forged between Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley and Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a once beautiful friendship that’s now unravelling before our eyes. Mind you, it’s something of a […]
