Doug Ashbury
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 23/99) - Indian and Northern Affairs Canada needs to "reassert" itself in economic development matters, according to a federal official.

"DIAND did have a role in regional economic development, but the department has effectively gone out of the business," Lorne Tricoteux, Indian and Northern Affairs associate regional director-general said last week.

"Clearly there is a void left on the economic development front in the North," he added.

Tricoteux made the comments at a recent Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Explorer Hotel.

He said that the department has made positive moves which may not always to be apparent. Tricoteux cited efforts to move land claims ahead.

"Access to land remains a key concern."

Settling land claims are key to supporting a healthy investment climate, he said.

With the Dogrib land claim agreement in principle signed, Tricoteux believes the claim could be completed by next summer.

On the process associated with Diavik's proposal to build a diamond mine at Lac de Gras, Tricoteux said it "seemed" it was "disjointed" at times, but he adds it was the first process of its kind. The comprehensive study approach, as opposed to a panel review which was the case for BHP's Ekati project, called for more an enormous amount of public input.

On transferring powers from the federal government, Tricoteux said: "There's a lot of work there to do and it's not going to happen overnight."

But, he added, the department is paying more attention to the process of transferring power to the territorial level.

In the 1998 federal budget, Finance Minister Paul Martin said Ottawa was committed to working with Northern partners to develop an economic strategy, but "not a lot has happened" since then because that was an "unfunded budget commitment," Tricoteux said.

Tricoteux said a Northern economic strategy must not only consider all three territories, but also recognize there will be a need for specifics to deal with regional variances.

Indian and Northern Affairs will participate in the Northern economic panel proposed by NWT Premier Jim Antoine, Tricoteux said.

"We recognize we need to work on closing the gap between federal and territorial economic development program."