Liberals under pressure to provide more infrastructure dollars for the North
Critics, advocates, and political rivals are calling on the federal Liberal government to dedicate more resources to address the severe infrastructure deficit in Canada’s North, arguing they failed to set aside funds in the last budget specifically for northern communities. In the 2017 budget, the Liberal government earmarked $2-billion over 11 years for infrastructure projects in rural and […]
One small step for Nunavut
After years of chronic underfunding in Nunavut’s infrastructural and social programs, the Canadian government has been making strides to provide Nunavummiut with the means necessary to support territorial development. Funding allocated in the 2017 is a step in the right direction, and will begin to address some vital areas that are in desperate need of […]
Northern projects waiting on the feds
On Feb. 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told hundreds of people attending a town hall in Yellowknife that “[The federal government has]…closed one door of potential economic opportunity. We need to work together to ensure that we are opening many more doors of economic opportunity.” That statement was in reply to a question about how […]
Territorial Development
The Great Thaw: our melting Arctic must be monitored, and Canada should lead the way
Imagine autumn in the Gatineau’s without trees, or the Rideau River without water. Now imagine the Arctic without ice. All unimaginable images, yet despite our proud ‘Great White North’ designation, the problem in grasping the magnitude of an ice-free Arctic is that it seems so far from our daily lives. In fact, most of Canada’s […]
How one lobby campaign won support of mining, environment, indigenous groups and MPs from all parties
It’s not every day that a lobbying campaign can claim success based on support from 49 MPs from all four political parties in the House of Commons as well as mining, environmental, and indigenous groups. While these camps may in other circumstances clash, they spoke with one voice in recent months to push the federal […]
Liberal MP Murray quietly recruiting other Grit MPs to ensure $6.8-billion Kinder Morgan pipeline follows all conditions
A senior British Columbia Liberal MP, who did not want the government to approve the $6.8-billion Trans Mountain Kinder Morgan pipeline, is holding discussions with other Liberal MPs from the province to put in place a monitoring system to ensure that all 157 conditions required by the government in the construction of the pipeline are […]
Will the Arctic Search and Rescue capability be reduced?
OTTAWA—While many welcomed the Dec. 8, 2016, announcement of the selection of the Airbus C295 as the replacement Search and Rescue (SAR) fixed-wing aircraft to replace the fleet of Buffalo and C-130 Hercules aircraft tasked with SAR, others may not be so welcoming. The C295 SAR aircraft will be deployed in only four locations in […]
No northerners in cabinet, no problem for veteran Yukon MP
Liberal MP Larry Bagnell was once invited to speak at a high school graduation in his riding, as most MPs are. However, for most MPs the journey to a high school in their riding would not consist of flying in a small plane, being grounded due to fog, and hitchhiking the rest of the way […]
‘It has a terrible history,’ Indigenous Affairs needs to go in order for reconciliation to happen, says Liberal MP
Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette says the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs may have to be rebuilt entirely if reconciliation is to happen. The MP from Winnipeg Centre, Man. said he thinks the history of the department that was responsible for many years for the marginalization of indigenous people runs too deep, and that for the culture […]
