Feds must consider Churchill’s strategic economic location in railway repair decision, experts and politicians say
Ottawa must ensure Churchill, Man.’s rail line and port return to normal operations, not only to prevent immediate disaster for the town’s struggling economy, but to preserve the existing infrastructure in anticipation of future economic development in the resource-rich and warming North, say Arctic experts and federal politicians. Despite the town’s decades-long fight to keep […]
Trudeau policies decrease funding, increase cost of living for northerners
As the Conservative Party’s new shadow minister for northern affairs, I am amazed by Canada’s northern people. Life in northern Canada is filled with unique challenges, which they take on every day with fortitude and resilience. That’s why I’m extremely disappointed with the Trudeau government and its dismissive tone toward these hard-working Canadians. When the […]
Co-operatives: connecting northern communities
Arctic communities are using the federated co-operative model to meet their needs, from food and clothing to rifles and snowmobiles. The federated co-operative model allows for local co-operative stores, all across the Arctic, to work together to lower costs and provide high-quality products to their communities. This Artic federation of co-operatives is known as Arctic […]
Two years in, Liberals doing the North well
Over the last two years, our government has made significant progress for northerners on a number of important issues. High food prices in remote Arctic communities have initiated a process that has started with extensive consultation and study of the existing subsidy program, with a goal of making the program more efficient and food more affordable. […]
More choice, less retailer control wanted in possible Nutrition North overhaul
Food security experts are hoping the federal government’s lack of action six months after releasing a report highlighting criticism of the Nutrition North program is a sign of a coming overhaul that will lead to more choice for participant consumers and increased food security. The program is aimed at reducing high food prices in remote […]
Northern archives, northern development
‘Archives’ runs a gamut of meanings. From the austere and restricted form of government records, which require specialized protocols for use and access, to the ephemeral and public sum total of social media, the idea of ‘archives’ is fuzzy. It is this fuzziness that has prevented any proper consideration of the role of archives in, […]
Canada’s colonial grip on the North needs to end
Earlier this month, I stood before a crowd in Reykjavik, Iceland, at the 2017 Artic Circle Assembly and again called for a strong vision for Canada’s North from our federal government. There is a lot of talk in Canada about reconciliation with Indigenous people right now. This is good news for a territory where approximately […]
The North
Heavy fuel oil must be banned from the Canadian Arctic
Over the last decades, Canada has taken successive actions to monitor and minimize the impact of human activities on our environment. For the Canadian Arctic, one of the key actions was the passing of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act (AWPPA) in 1985. Another has been making it compulsory for ships weighing 300 tonnes or […]
Two Senators once denied Indian status fight bill so others can gain rights
Long before Senator Lillian Dyck became the first First Nations woman to sit in the Upper Chamber, white Parliamentarians signed laws stripping women of their Indian status and the ability to confer that legal identity to their descendants. The Saskatchewan Senator can trace discriminatory Canadian legislation through her lineage, an imposed heirloom she passed to […]
