Keystone XL project fails test of long-term benefit for Canada
OTTAWA—Debate over the Keystone XL project has brought into stark focus the federal government’s lack of long-term development planning for Canada’s resources. This pipeline represents the “grab-and-go” resource exploitation of decades past, and the government’s blind support of it ignores calls from workers and environmentalists alike who want to see clean, green jobs as […]
We need a coordinated national strategy more than any in the world
Canadian energy policy has been stifled since the National Energy Program of the 1980s that divided the country politically. A national energy strategy has recently been proposed by the Winnipeg Consensus, the Banff Dialogue and is demanded by the Canadian Council of Executives and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association. Even Alberta’s Premier Alison […]
Government and industry unfazed by U.S. delay of Keystone XL Pipeline
The Prime Minister says he’s disappointed and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty isn’t sure the project will survive, but Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver remains confident that the Keystone XL pipeline will be approved and Alberta’s oil sands industry will continue to expand. “I do believe that Keystone will in fact be approved,” Natural Resources […]
Oliver slips into hot seat, limelight
Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver may be a first-time MP, but he’s become one of the most high-profile ministers in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Cabinet. With natural resources industries doing the heavy lifting in Canada’s economic recovery, the portfolio has never been more important. The U.S.’s slow economic recovery and delay of the Keystone […]
PM cites Northern Strategy, Arctic sovereignty
The following is Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s August 26 at the Yukon’s Kluane National Park. The speech was edited to fit the page. KLUANE NATIONAL PARK, YUKON—It is a real pleasure for me to be here, to enjoy the warm hospitality that I’ve received at Haines Junction today, and to be able to see Kluane […]
Rangers helping CF maintain presence in North
The following is a speech Defence Minister Peter MacKay delivered in Whitehorse, Yukon, on July 24 to the Canadian Rangers. The speech was edited to fit the page. WHITEHORSE, YUKON—Although the Yukon is a corner of the globe rich in resources and overflowing with astonishing vistas, it’s important to be mindful that you—our Canadian […]
Federal government should have long-term strategy for mining in Canada’s North: experts
Canada’s Arctic is experiencing a boom in the mining industry that could continue for decades to come but inherent challenges in infrastructure and labour still cause difficulties and need to be addressed, say mining experts. “The opportunity facing Canadian mining right now hasn’t been seen in generations. We probably haven’t seen anything like this […]
Mining booming in Canada’s North: an overview
Since the brief recession in the mining industry in 2008, mining has come back with a boom in Canada’s North. The government and mining companies have been expressing a distinct interest in Northern resources. The following is an overview of what’s happening on the mining front. Geoscience Earlier this month the Canadian Northern […]
CanNOR agency inefficient, facing problems, say opposition MPs
The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency is inefficient and its activities are shrouded in mystery two years after its creation to help battle issues specific to economic development in northern communities, say opposition critics. “I think this agency has had lots of problems since it’s been formulated,” said NDP MP Dennis Bevington (Western Arctic, […]
Yukon: a new gold rush is on
PARLIAMENT HILL—With the Yukon’s unemployment rate tagged at 5.6 per cent it’s hard to argue a new rush isn’t on. Exploration investments have increased from $20-million in 2004 to a record high that is expected to exceed $300-million this year. That represents 10 per cent of exploration spending in Canada. Gold continues to lure […]
