Spending in the North won’t ‘invest in the human rights’ of northerners, NDP argues
By Devon Tredinnick
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government is failing to invest in the human rights of people in Northern communities, says the federal NDP’s northern critic.
Leah Gazan, a Winnipeg MP, says billions in promised spending for the North—specifically for defence and major infrastructure projects—should instead go toward things like housing and food insecurity.
“He’s putting all of this money in defence at a time of an affordability crisis,” said Gazan. “He’s failed to invest in the human rights of the people in northern communities across Canada.”
Gazan suggested publicly-owned grocery stores, as pitched by new leader Avi Lewis, could help people in the North.
“I think it’s really a life and death initiative for families up North,” she said.
The prime minister’s last visit to the territories was in March, when he came to Yellowknife to announce a $35-billion plan to bolster civilian infrastructure, upgrade northern military bases and improve airports.
If Ottawa is planning to spend billions on defence for the region, Gazan said, “certainly [Carney] could have the creativity and the imagination to make sure that people have a house to live in and kids are no longer starving up North.”
The promised spending is meant to demonstrate the Liberal government’s commitment to Arctic sovereignty. The major infrastructure projects, the Mackenzie Valley Highway, the Taltson hydro expansion and the Arctic economic and security corridor, are all meant to be of national interest.
“Is it not of national interest to ensure all northerners across Canada are provided with their human right to housing?” Gazan asked. “Is it not a project of national interest to put forward public options for food… because food is so costly?”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Indigenous services department and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada said the government has other initiatives aimed at affordability in the North.
It cited a list of funding commitments, including $115 million to renew the Inuit Child First Initiative.
The federal government also says affordability in the North is linked to the cost of transportation.
It says the $1 billion Arctic Infrastructure Fund for airports, ports, and all-season roads are infrastructure investments that directly influence affordability.
Canada also has programs including Nutrition North and a myriad of other funds aimed at food security. The federal government says all of those programs help reduce the cost of food.
“We will continue to create new opportunities by investing in communities and by supporting initiatives led by Indigenous partners,” the statement reads.
Ottawa’s promises have been met with broad approval locally in the N.W.T., but also with some mixed reactions elsewhere.
Nunavut Premier John Main has said he’s happy to see new military investments, but says his territory also needs upgrades to community infrastructure.
“We can’t only have defence infrastructure being addressed,” he said.
First Nations and Métis leaders have also criticized the federal government’s spring economic update for a lack of distinctions-based funding for Indigenous communities.
The federal Conservative Party did not respond to a request for comment.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Canadians in North see U.S. as Arctic threat on par with Russia: survey, Eye on the Arctic
Denmark: Denmark flexes in Arctic with Greenland drills, signaling ongoing security push, Eye on the Arctic
Iceland: Iceland authorizes U.S. submarine service visits, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Russian jamming disrupting GPS signals for Norwegian aviation almost daily, The Independent Barents Observer
