Jack Danylchuk
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 16/06) - Prime Minister Paul Martin says his government has done a good job giving the North the resources it needs to deal with development.

In a 10-minute interview with News/North this past Thursday, Martin also said he wants to see the Mackenzie Gas Project go ahead, but declined to discuss resource revenue sharing.

Among other matters, Prime Minister Paul Martin says he wants to see the Mackenzie Gas Project go ahead, is prepared to review the Northern living allowance and protect NWT caribou herds. - NNSL file photo

"We want to conclude resource sharing as quickly as possible. It's a central part of building the North," he said. "I'm not going to get into quantification. The North has tremendous resources and responsibilities and needs the funding to do the job."

Martin pointed to his government's promise of $500 million over 10 years to communities affected by the pipeline, but wasn't "going to get into what was really a successful negotiation" on devolution.

Liberal incumbent Ethel Blondin-Andrew has promoted the view that the opposition brought down the government when it was about to reach agreement on devolution with the territorial government.

That view has been challenged by Northern leaders and Premier Joe Handley said that devolution won't come without a deal on resource revenue sharing. Martin also referred to the Northern Strategy which has delivered $120 million to communities across the North and the First Ministers' meeting in Kelowna last fall that pledged $5 billion to raise living conditions of aboriginal people.

"That agreement has got to go forward; it's just too important to the North," he said, and pointed to Conservative finance critic Monte Solberg's rejection of the plan.

"The fact that the Conservatives won't honour that commitment is beyond the pale."

Martin said the federal government is prepared to look at the northern living allowance and the tax burden on people living in the North.

"We would like to see a mechanism in place for

reducing the costs of living in the North," he said. "We've got to make sure people living in the North have a quality of life comparable to the south."

Martin also pointed to the plan to bolster Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic with two new search and rescue aircraft in Yellowknife and patrol remote areas with drones.

Questioned about protection of caribou herds, Martin pointed to his opposition to drilling in Alaska's Arctic Wildlife Refuge.

"I made a very big issue of this in the fight with the Americans on the Porcupine herd," he said. "We can't turn our backs on the caribou herds across the Arctic."

The NWT Status of Women's Council wants legal aid extended to civil cases to improve women's access to legal counsel.

"We believe there has to be an improved legal aid program right across the country," said Martin, who promised a summit on native women's issues.