Ottawa ‘proud to support’ Iqaluit hydroelectric project: finance minister
Nod to renewable energy project one of few northern references in spring economic update
Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says his government is “proud to support” a proposed hydroelectric project with a 50-metre-high dam and a powerhouse to be built along the Kuugaluk River, about 60 kilometres northeast of Iqaluit. (Photo courtesy of Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.)
A nod to the proposed Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydroelectric Project was one of the few references to the North in the federal government’s spring economic update delivered Tuesday in Ottawa.
“In the North, we are proud to support an Inuit-owned renewable energy project in Iqaluit, breaking the Arctic’s reliance on diesel and returning energy sovereignty to the people,” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, speaking in the House of Commons.
It is one of two Nunavut projects the federal government has referred to its Major Projects Office for fast-tracking and approval. The other is the Grays Bay Road and Port project in the Kitikmeot Region.
The economic update is a followup to the federal budget presented last November.
Champagne, in his address, recapped developments such as reaching the NATO target of spending two per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product on national defence, plans to expand the country’s supply of housing, and promises to invest in major nation-building projects.
One of the new initiatives Champagne announced was Team Canada Strong, which he described as a “nationwide effort to recruit, train and hire 80,000 to 100,000 new skilled trades workers.”
Despite challenges presented by “unjust tariffs,” Champagne drew on the success of the Artemis II space mission to share his optimism about Canada’s economic future and promises to “build Canada strong.”
“As Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen showed us on his recent journey around the moon, the sky is no longer the limit,” Champagne said.
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