Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

NNSL (Sep 06/99) - Robert Nault, the new minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, was first elected to the House of Commons in 1988.

He was named parliamentary secretary to the minister of Labour in 1995 and to the minister of Human Resources and Development in 1997. He has also served on the House standing committees on aboriginal affairs and northern development, human resources development, foreign affairs and international trade, natural resources and health.

Before Nault was elected to Parliament, he was a councillor in the town of Kenora, Ont. He was also a railway conductor and served as vice-general chair and local chair of the United Transportation Union. He studied political science and recreational administration at the University of Alberta and at the University of Winnipeg.

From 1984 to 1986, he was a member of a Canada-U.S.A. inter-parliamentary group.

News/North: Are you in favour of more autonomy for the North and more decentralization?

Robert Nault: We are already working very closely with the territorial governments to devolve services and give Northerners more power over their own destiny. I think that is going to continue. From a near-Northerner, from Northern Ontario myself, that's certainly something we think is appropriate instead of running everything out of Ottawa.

N/N: How do land claims fit in to your idea of devolving powers?

Nault: Well, that's what we're working very hard on now and I don't see that changing dramatically. The real general interest, obviously, of any member of Parliament or minister of the Crown, whether it be myself or territorial politicians elected by Northerners, is to create an economy. We have to keep working at doing that very thing -- create an infrastructure so we can get into economic development and create the employment that is expected of us and I think that's going to be the major focus for myself is working with the territorial leaders to get in place the policies that will reflect the needs of economic development long term.

N/N: What is your background and what aspects of your background will help you as DIAND minister?

Nault: The aspects of my background that will make people feel comfortable is that I come from a large geographic area myself and at the same time I represent 51 first nations in Northern Ontario in my riding, which gives me the opportunity over the years to work closely with aboriginal populations and their needs.

N/N: Different people have different ideas what land claims are and whether negotiations are more with Ottawa than the territorial government. How involved do you see the territorial government being?

Nault: Obviously, as time goes on the territorial government will have a responsibility, as the federal government does, to sit at the table with us. Territorial governments and the jurisdiction over the North is the federal jurisdiction, so we're working our way hand in hand with the devolution to allow First Nations' governments and the territorial governments to play a role in shaping and developing that huge and beautiful region of Canada. So at this point, I would expect by the time we get through devolution and change the dynamics of the relationship between Ottawa and the territorial governments I would hope that most of these land claims are settled and the rationale for settling these land claims is a simple one. We want to bring certainty to the North so economic development can occur. There's also a fiduciary responsibility of the federal Crown and always will be in relation to First Nation communities to deal with the rights of First Nations as it relates to land.

N/N: So you want to work together with the territorial government?

Nault: Well, that's it. There's no reason for us to be working at cross purposes.

N/N: OK. How about coming up North. Are you setting up any meetings so far?

Nault: Yes, I hope to meet very soon with the premier of your territory and I'm already setting up meetings with some of the other territorial leaders and that will give me an opportunity to flesh out our common interests to work very closely.

N/N: When are you coming North?

Nault: I'm scheduled to go to Iqaluit on Saturday (Sept. 4) and I'll be coming up North into the Yukon by the end of the month and I haven't had the opportunity to talk to my colleague Ethel Blondin-Andrew and I want to talk to her before I make a decision on when is the appropriate time for me to come to the North. Because I'm very close to Ethel (Blondin-Andrew). I've worked with her over the years on a number of areas and want to make sure it's convenient for her schedule and mine at the same time.

N/N: Have you ever been to the North before?

Nault: Oh, many times. I've been to Yellowknife on a number of occasions. I think the first time I was in Yellowknife was '89.

N/N: So you feel you know the region reasonably well?

Nault: Well, as well as an outsider could, I think.

N/N: On diamonds and secondary industry. Are you going to helping push for more secondary industry in the North?

Nault: Well that was what I was referring to in my opening comments about creating an economy. I come from a region very similar in that we rely on forestry and mining and tourism and we don't have a lot of secondary industry. I feel very comfortable in understanding that in order for us to get more value added for our resources we have to start moving into the secondary industry side and I will work very closely with Ethel to see that every opportunity that presents itself will have that.

N/N: So, will you be working toward forcing companies who do the mining to have secondary industry in the North?

Nault: Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say we're going to force anybody to do anything. I think we're going to convince companies that that is the smart thing to do economically and is obviously beneficial to give the communities, and the region, where the wealth comes from something back. It should be in a more substantial way than just the primary resource. I would hope we wouldn't have to force anybody to do anything.

N/N: One issue that has been going on for a long time is moving jobs from Ottawa to the North that are highly operational in nature. The reasoning goes that the North is better served by people who live in the North. What is your position on the staff transfer?

Nault: That's a good question and I don't have an answer to that because I'm not aware that process is ongoing at this point. Am I in favour of creating jobs for the North? Yes, I am in the private sector, but I don't think that bureaucrat jobs and public service jobs are the kind of jobs for Northerners that are the issue. Public service jobs are paid by taxpayers to deliver a service and if there are people who are making decisions that are not the right decisions because they're being made in Ottawa and not in Yellowknife -- if I can use that as an example -- then that can change because we need better advice. But as far as me moving public service jobs around, I don't think that's going to solve anybody's problems. Public service jobs are important and will continue to be important, but they will be less important as we continue down the road of devolution.

N/N: Are there any other priorities for the North that we haven't brought up yet?

Nault: Well I think the priority for me at least is to focus on the young population. I don't think that at this point we have co-ordinated our activities as well as we could between Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Human Resources and some of the other departments that are working closely with young people.

N/N: How is the transition going to being the minister of a department?

Nault: Well, I'm still in the process of getting my head around a number of files and when I get to a point, sometime in the ensuing months, I'll be making more of a national statement of priorities and the direction of this minister and this department for the foreseeable future, but I'm sort of sticking to the general areas that I see as heavy priorities which is economic development and infrastructure development. To get those economies built you have to have good infrastructure and a good quality for life and that means good housing. These are issues that are givens, but I think you need to go a step further and start talking about the things you mentioned earlier like the secondary industries and the wealth that we can create from our resources other than just mining it or cutting it and shipping it to the south.