OPINION: Northern Arctic defence, a smart move for Canada

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s historic announcement in Yellowknife last week was welcomed by the North.

Carney, who was born in Fort Smith, N.W.T., said that northerners have been patient. He said that previous governments had developed cautiously and “lacked the scale of ambition and the depth of strategy worthy of this vast region and its peoples.”

In response to geopolitical concerns, particularly President Donald Trump's threats to Canada’s autonomy, Carney was firm in his government’s commitment to Canada’s North.

“We will no longer rely on others to defend our Arctic security or to fuel our economy,” Carney said. “We’re taking full responsibility for defending our sovereignty.”

The $35 billion investment will include upgrades to Arctic airports, military bases, new and improved hangars, and ammunition and fuel facilities. Primary and secondary military support sites will be built in Whitehorse, Resolute, Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet.

The Prime Minister’s Office said that some previously announced initiatives are being referred to the Major Projects Office to be expedited.

These include the long-awaited 800-kilometre-long Mackenzie Valley Highway, which will connect Yellowknife to Inuvik, the Grays Bay Road and port, which is a 230-kilometre all-season road that will connect Nunavut to Grays Bay and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, which is a 400-kilometre all-season road through the mineral-rich Slave Geological Province Corridor and ending at the Nunavut border.

The Taltson Hydro Expansion is another project being expedited by the government, which will result in substantially increased power being generated for northern communities, and especially, the Slave Geological Province.

These investments could not have come at a better time in Canada’s North, as stringent economic times are causing many major northern businesses to leave. Notably, Imperial Oil, which has been operating in the Sahtu region for more than a century, will wrap up oil production later this year.

Three northern diamond mines are also winding down operations. The decrease in the price of diamonds and implementation of heavy tariffs, in addition to the lack of infrastructure and high cost of transport, have made it economically unviable to continue to operate in the North. As these are some of the main employers in the N.W.T., many northerners have been concerned about what a future without these companies will look like.

With the planned all-season highways and roads, future businesses and mining concerns will have the opportunity to operate more profitably, providing jobs and securing futures for northerners and other Canadians.