Where's the beef?

Just what was said

Prime Minister Paul Martin talks of the North in his reply to the Speech from the Throne Oct. 5:

"Let me speak here of a region of particular challenge and of remarkable opportunity: our Far North.

As a young man, I worked on a tug barge, riding the Mackenzie River to the Beaufort Sea. Like anyone who spends time in the North, I was enthralled by the majesty of the land, by the very idea of its vastness.

I touched the Beaufort again this summer while spending several days in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. I spoke with elders and walked out on the tundra.

The North is a land of mythic grandeur: of mountains rising through the clouds, of valleys carved deep by glaciers, of icebergs shaped by wind and wave.

But it is also a part of the world that is on the ecological front lines, a fragile place where we can see the unsettling effects of pollution and global warming.

The modern North retains the echo of the ancient, but it is a place of great promise.

We will work with the territories and aboriginal groups to further develop the economy of the North -- and we will do so in a way that sustains the environment and benefits the people.

The government of Canada is committed to supporting science and research in the North.

And let there be no doubt: we will protect our sovereignty in the Arctic."

Where's the beef?

Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Oct 11/04) - Leaders in the South Slave are offering mixed reviews on the federal government's commitment to a new Northern development strategy in last week's Speech from the Throne.

"I find it very generalized and I'd like to see the specifics on that," says Hay River Mayor Diana Ehman. "Where's the beef?"

However, Ehman says the fact that the North was mentioned at all in the speech is somewhat positive and encouraging.

The speech called for a comprehensive Northern strategy on economic and human development, the environment, sovereignty and security, and circumpolar cooperation.

Ehman is "fairly confident" Northern needs will be dealt with by the federal government, noting the increasing wealth of the North is attracting Ottawa's notice.

Karen Felker, the chief of the West Point First Nation in Hay River, would like the government to first take care of local issues.

"If you take care of the small stuff first, the big things wouldn't be as big," she suggested.

Felker also questioned the influence of Western Arctic MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, the minister of state for northern development. "She hasn't really done anything."

The chief said she is both skeptical and hopeful. "It can't get any worse."

It's a start

Lloyd Cardinal, president of the Fort Resolution Metis Council, thinks the new federal commitment is a start.

In particular, he hopes for a new funding arrangement for the territorial government, so some money will flow down to communities like Fort Resolution.

Cardinal believes Blondin-Andrew is committed to working for the North. "I believe she's going to follow through with that," he said.