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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair received a small but warm welcome from the party faithful during his first official visit to Yellowknife on Monday.

New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair touched on concerns about the federal government's actions on resource management, climate change and infrastructure investment. - Simon Whitehouse/NNSL photo

The NWT, which has been held by the NDP's Dennis Bevington over the last three federal elections, is a Northern stronghold for the party in a sea of ridings that have been otherwise painted Conservative blue. The test for Mulcair is to build on deceased former leader Jack Layton's momentum heading into the next election.

"The biggest thing I am realizing is that there is going to be a real battle in the next election," said Mulcair.

"Stephen Harper is going to propose one form of government and there is going to be a clear choice for once in Canadian politics and we think Canadians are going to rally to us as the only viable alternative to the Conservatives."

New Democrat supporter Patty Ducharme was one of about 25 to 30 people to attend a meet and greet at the Explorer Hotel. Ducharme said she was pleased by Mulcair's visit.

"I think it is great that he is up here," said Ducharme.

"He is talking resources and aboriginal people's issues and is talking about the land and the environment. It is good to know that the leader of the Opposition knows that we are here and knows what the issues are in the community. Sometimes you get the sense that they are living in a bubble."

While in Yellowknife, Mulcair attacked the ruling Conservatives over the perceived watering down of environmental regulations in the North.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government may seem pro-development by watering down a number of provisions of the Fisheries and Navigable Waters Protection acts but Mulcair called these so-called gifts to the private sector "a poison chalice."

"I meet with ... all of these companies and the smart ones understand that they haven't been helped by this approach because you can wind up with your regulatory licence, but if you don't have a social licence," said Mulcair, meaning that resource projects will face more protests and court challenges with reduced environmental restrictions.

"You aren't going to be able to get anywhere. Again, that is something that Mr. Harper doesn't understand."

Mulcair also met with a number of Northern politicians while in the city, including Mayor Mark Heyck, several MLAs, and Dene National Chief Bill Erasmus during a dinner at the Smokehouse Cafe, Monday night. He took a jab at a nearby caucus meeting of Northern Conservatives, who he accused of trying to steal his thunder by holding a gathering in Yellowknife on the same day as his visit, planned long in advance.

"I find it flattering because they planned those meetings after they found out that we were going to be up here for a couple of days," he said.

Here are some outtakes from a wide-ranging exclusive interview by reporter Simon Whitehouse with NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair

On Stephen Harper and pipelines

• "The PM rails against people who don't agree with his view on pipelines. So he tries to gut environmental legislation to make approval a foregone conclusion. That is spectacularly shortsighted because he doesn't understand that in this day and age you can no longer force projects from the top down."

On the political landscape in the North:

• "Don't forget that in the North, there are really two parties. There is the Conservatives that have the Yukon and Nunavut and the NDP which has the NWT, Churchill, and also Nunavik, which is a massive riding that includes the Quebec Arctic and an area which is larger than the province of Manitoba."

On Mayor Mark Heyck, who supported Mulcair during his leadership campaign:

• "He is an extraordinarily strong mayor. I get a chance to travel the country constantly. He is simply one of the strongest mayors I have met. He is brilliant, extremely well-informed, hard-working and articulate and really understands public administration. Yellowknife is extremely lucky to have someone like him. I started talking to him the first day he got elected and I gave him a call. We will stay in contact."

On Gary Goodyear, minister of state for Science and Technology:

• "We have a science minister who doesn't believe that Darwin was right. He believes in creationism. So it is an interesting perspective and it is quite different from the way most Canadians think."

On working with the Liberal Party in the future :

• "We tried. In 2008, the NDP put together a coalition agreement that we signed with the Liberals. The Liberals turned up their noses on their own signature. We thought the priority was to get rid of the Conservatives and the Liberals thought it was the priority to take care of the Liberals. We're now the official Opposition and the only party poised to take care of Stephen Harper."

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