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Oct 14, 2010
On the Front Lines
of Canada’s
Northern Strategy
Northern Economic and Sovereignty
Infrastructure Conference
Iqaluit, Nunavut
Shannon A. Joseph, Policy Advisor
1
Outline
•
•
•
•
Setting the context
National politics and the North
Northern municipal governments
Northern communities and national
defence
• Lessons from other countries
• Towards a new northern vision
2
Setting the Context
• History of short-lived
periods of interest and
ad-hoc investments
driven by the South
• Perceived as empty:
– 100,000+ people
– $7 billion in GDP
– Rich social and cultural
histories
• Significant resource
wealth of domestic and
international interest
Setting the Context
• Continual inability to bring living standards in
northern communities in line with the rest of
Canada
• High cost of living, limited access to higher
education, gaps in basic public infrastructure,
etc.
• Health indicators: Northern Canadians still face
– Lower life expectancy
– Increased child mortality
– Higher incidence of non-communicable illness
Setting the Context
North in National Politics
• Development and integration of the
North are a national priority
• Multi-party support to:
– Responding to aboriginal aspirations
– Resolving land claims issues
– Enabling economic activities in the region
• Key document for the current policy
environment is the Northern Strategy
North in National Politics
• Key outcomes
• Approach
– Vital communities
– Respect for the
environment
– Cooperation between
orders of government
– Enhanced Canadian
presence on the land, sea
and sky of the Arctic
– Maintain a strong
military presence
– Enhance stewardship
through regulations
– Advance the
geographic and
geological knowledge
of the region
North in National Politics
• Northern Strategy –
missing elements:
– Inclusion of the
provincial north
– Long-term coordinated
commitment between
military needs and local
communities
– Inclusion of a long-term
clear plan for renewal of
core public infrastructure
Municipalities in the North
• Meet day-to-day needs of
their communities
• Provide vital support for
local commercial, military
and scientific endeavours
• Maintain and operate almost
all basic local services and
infrastructure (airfields,
roads, water and sanitation,
even health and housing)
Municipal Challenges
• Canada
• North
– Infrastructure deficit of
$123 billion
– Limited sources of
revenue
– Infrastructure deficit
exacerbated by climate
change
– Most communities do
not collect tax
• 8 cents of every tax dollar
paid in Canada
• Property tax and service
fees
• Ex: 1 out of 25
municipalities has its
own tax base.
• Government dependent
– Small populations
– Isolation and remoteness
Northern Communities and
National Defence
• WWII
– Alaska HWY
– Northwest Staging
route airfields
• Cold War
– Continental radar
system (DEW-line,
Pine-tree line)
– Building boom from
Labrador to Yukon
Lessons from Other Countries
• Alaska
– Anchorage and
Fairbanks
– University of Alaska
• Australian outback
– Stabilized regional
economy
– High level of
infrastructure
• Pacific Islands
– Key infrastructure on
hundreds of islands
Lessons from Other Countries
• Presence of the military has an impact on life in
remote regions
– Underpin economic development
– Improve local infrastructure
– Foundation for stabilization and growth
• The most important investments allow for the
flow of people, goods and information into the
region
• Sustained military investment can have an
economic multiplier effect leading to flow-on
citizen, private sector and government
commitments
The New North
• Major environmental change
• New resource potential (oil, gas and
minerals)
• Settlement of land claims and
empowerment of aboriginal communities
• Increasing international circumpolar
initiatives (Inuit Circumpolar Conference)
• Remilitarization of the Arctic
A New Northern Vision
• Recommendations
– Develop a long-term plan to invest in
Northern infrastructure
– Make Canada’s North the world leader in
climate change adaptation
– Use smart military investments as the
backbone for building the New North
• Make partnership official policy
• Information technology – connect the region
to the world (e-education, remote work, etc.)
A New Northern Vision
• Other recommendations
– Include the provincial North
– Build northern scientific capacity
• Modeled on University of the Arctic
– Build northern intellectual and professional
capacity
• Create training opportunities for northerners
– Build a stronger civil society
– Introduce new Canadians to the North
– Promote northern region collaboration
A New Northern Vision
Northern sovereignty depends on the presence of
thriving communities
Shannon A. Joseph
Policy Advisor
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
613-907-6265
[email protected]