INUVIK
Justin Trudeau touched down in the Beaufort Delta on Jan. 9 for the first of a three-stop tour of the Canadian North.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau speaks with elder Sarah Tingmiak at Taste of Inuvik during the Inuvik Sunrise Festival Jan. 10. - Elaine Anselmi/NNSL photo

Trudeau, who was making his first Northern tour since becoming leader of the federal Liberal party, was swiftly inducted into the Inuvik Sunrise Festival celebrations.

Throughout his two-day tour of the town, Trudeau stopped to chat with the festival-goers, posed for pictures and even joined in for the community dance with the Inuvik Drummers and Dancers.

Before he wielded a spatula at the Legion for the Community Pancake Breakfast on Jan. 10, News/North sat down with Trudeau to talk about his visit and his vision for the North.

News/North: During this trip, you're meeting with a number of aboriginal organizations. What are you hoping to discuss with them and what have your already heard?

Justin Trudeau: Mostly, it was hearing how devolution is affecting them, and what the decreasing price of oil is going to have as an impact on some of their resource visions for the North.

We talked about some of the challenges, about Nutrition North, and we talked about the land and water boards and their concerns about moving to a super board and making sure they're still adequately consulted in resource development.

I've heard across the country in sitting down with First Nations and Inuit peoples (that) they're pro-development, it just has to be done right – and that's exactly where most Canadians are. Then, figuring how to do that is a big challenge in the coming years.

N/N: Hydraulic fracturing has been a polarizing topic. Fracking in the Sahtu region of the NWT has been met with significant opposition. What is your position on the process and seeing its use increased across the country?

JT: My stance is, we need to make sure that whatever we do is grounded in responsible science.

There are parts if the country where fracking has gone on for decades, and successfully so. There are other parts where people have a few more concerns either because of the fragility of the ecosystem or the lack of data and we need to make sure that we're doing our homework and we're protecting future generations and the environment, whether it be groundwater or what have you.

I understand that Canada will always have a large element of its economy, particularly in the North, around resource development and that's a good thing. We just have to understand that if we don't do it right, not only do we harm ourselves and our future generations, we have trading partners that are less and less interested in actually buying those resources. That's where the responsibility comes, it means actually doing it better, not doing it less.

N/N: Ottawa's addition of the regulatory super board in the devolution bill has been particularly controversial in the territory. What is your impression of the move to a regulatory super board and do you see a chance of reversing that decision?

JT: That was a question I asked of the Gwich'in (Tribal Council) directly.

One of the things that is recognized is making it simpler for proposals to be examined, and having sort of a one-stop shop, is understandable as a goal but that shouldn't come at a cost of regional voices and local voices.

One of the things we talked about with the Gwich'in is the interest in perhaps establishing a local board that would be part of the super board. I don't know exactly, it's something I wanted to hear initially from them because of course, April 1 it all kicks in.

We will monitor it closely and, of course, the most important thing for me is that the essential element of consultation and partnership with indigenous people be at the centre of any plan on resources going forward.

N/N: The Nutrition North program has received a lot of criticism following the Auditor General's report. Can you comment on the effectiveness of the program and where you think Nutrition North needs re-examining?

JT: When the price of basic goods is many multiples as high as what it is in the south, that's a barrier that the government is obliged to help with because sovereignty in the North doesn't just come through defence spending and coast guard ships. It comes through supporting people who live here, people who have always lived here, the communities that thrive and grow. A part of that is making sure that they can feed and support their families.

The Auditor General highlighted very real problems with Nutrition North and it's incumbent on the government to fix it – not just fix it so it looks good, but fix it so it actually works for the people who live in the North.

N/N: Has the issue of food cost become more evident being up here?

JT: It's something I've heard from just about everyone I've talked to.

N/N: With so much talk about Arctic sovereignty, you mention that there is more to it than defence spending, what do you think is missing from the conversation?

JT: I think there is a lot of the perspective, unfortunately, from our current government that showcases the North as a big empty place we need to protect and put our stamp on. This place is filled with people who have lived here for millennia, who understand the challenges, who want to be part of Canada's success.

The conversations I had last night with local leaders touched on everything from the falling price of oil to concerns around security to Russia and Ukraine, and what impacts that could have on the North. There is a connectedness, to not just the rest of Canada but also to the world, here that means the Canadian government should be drawing on people here instead of working around them.

N/N: As you know, the NWT has a consensus government. When you removed the senators from the Liberal caucus, this was in a way a move towards that consensus-style governing. Was this intentional?

JT: Absolutely. Certainly partisanship is always going to be important in our parliamentary democracy because you have opposing points of view, but you should be able to have a responsible debate about it that focuses on how best to serve citizens.

When I relieved the senators from partisan oversight, that allowed them to actually focus on the issues and how to best respond to the very real needs of the community and that focus is something I'd like to see a lot more of in Parliament. I don't think we need to do it by removing political parties from Ottawa but I think the way those political parties can function should be a lot more respectful and a lot more issues-based than the knee-jerk extreme politics of division that is so effectively showcased by this particular government.

N/N: What would the impact of a Liberal MP in the North be, as we currently don't have one between the three territories?

JT: One of the things that I'm focused on is making sure the MPs across the country are actual voices for their communities in Ottawa – not Ottawa's representatives to their communities.

Which, unfortunately, is what happens, particularly with the Conservative MPs, where they're more spokespeople for Mr. Harper than they are spokespeople for their ridings.

That's why we're drawing on extraordinary individuals, community leaders, to be able to showcase the kind of strength that the North needs to have in Parliament.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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