Arctic security on the agenda for Northern Premiers’ Forum
Federal ministers, premiers meet in Iqaluit on Sunday before forum opens in Pond Inlet
Federal and territorial politicians pose for a photo ahead of a dinner in Iqaluit on Sunday. From left are Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, N.W.T Premier R.J. Simpson, National Defence Minister Bill Blair, Premier P.J. Akeeagok, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai and Labrador MP Yvonne Jones. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Arctic security will be on the agenda this week as federal politicians and territorial premiers meet in Nunavut.
The Northern Premiers’ Forum is being held Monday through Thursday in Pond Inlet, with Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok acting as chairperson. That role is rotated each year between the premiers of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
On Sunday in Iqaluit, Akeeagok along with N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson and Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai met with federal cabinet ministers including Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, National Defence Minister Bill Blair and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
During the meeting, Blair spoke about Canada’s new defence policy, funding for military operations in the Arctic, and threats from adversaries in the region, according to a statement published by his office afterward.
The group also met with Canadian Rangers and toured the Royal Canadian Air Force’s forward operating location in Iqaluit.
After the meetings, the politicians went to the Nunavut commissioner’s official residence in Iqaluit for a dinner of caribou Wellington and char stew, prepared by Iqaluit chef Sheila Flaherty.
The visit will continue Monday morning in Iqaluit with a roundtable discussion on Arctic security.
In a news release announcing the visit, Blair said he looked forward to working with the northern premiers and Inuit leaders about threats to the North and the Arctic and how they can work together to protect Canada and keep northerners and Indigenous communities safe.
And so it will be back to real business when these photo opps end…count down begins…
Nice photo of people being paid to stand around and do nothing
I do not fear the North being invaded as we have a really well-trained, always present, dependable Ranger squad with red sweaters and camo plants. Good luck getting past that Putin and Comrades.
And most nearing pension age …
Only elite government titles get the fancy 20 year underground survival bunkers🚀
Yvonne seems a bit out of place…
How so? I don’t see that she looks any more out of place than any of the others.
The biggest threat to Nunavut is our incompetent and undereducated Premier and his cabinet.
Oh yes the premier has education, it’s called Nunavut Sivuniksavut, which is starting high school all over again where students are taught Inuit cultural such as tattoos around face and wrist & fingers signifying that they are real Inuk and eating frozen maktaaq dipping it in soya sauce and posting on TikTok 🥱
We as civilians do not face any actual threats. The only wolves are the government officials. The police. Those are wolves.
Security is a big concern as we are sleepwalking to war with nukes being the weapon of choice. The world is nearer to that than it has ever been. But never mind let’s pour more resources into increasing confrontations.
How will physical land defence work if the Federal Government starts enforcing the $20,000 electric vehicle encouragement tax? As the Feds call it. It’s a $20,000 add-on to the price tag of a new/used gas car/truck penalty.
This whopper of a gas vehicle penalty is to encourage people to buy the expensive and heavier electric vehicle. The type that can only travel a restricted distance on a charge. Are costly to fix. And good luck starting in cold weather.
Is it to be assumed this $20,000 encouragement tax will also apply to ATVs, snow machines and boats? The scary part. Gas car, ATV, snow machine and boat manufacturers will very-very soon do a hard pull back manufacturing and stop exporting to Canada. Because by 2030, 90% are to be zero emission vehicle (ZEV). Ouch! It’s not hard to see the $20,000 penalty dropping anytime.
How will citizens, military and rangers defend Canada with electric vehicles (ZEV)?
For two months the Finnish National Cross Country Ski Team defeated the Russian tank army that invaded Finland in November of 1939.
Nunavut needs more security amongst its communties. More look into inuit culture. Health and education is way too often looked into but should be suppose to go up to high school level. Inuit are health with good food with traditional foods.
Tooma, could you please explain how your comment relates to this article? As what you said does not clearly make sense.
If 90% of light vehicles must be zero emission vehicle (ZEV) within 6 years. Then what is Nunavut’s vehicle charging plan?
Because crazy charging demands are about to knock hard on Nunavut power stations.
Is the GN about to start a massive diesel tank farm building blitz? To cover the surging electricity charging demands?
If not, is the GN plan to send the cost of electricity sky high? Making it unaffordable to charge any ZEV car, truck, snow machine, ATV to avoid community wide spring, summer, fall, winter blackouts?
Pushing transportation back in time to walk everywhere with no plastic bags.
If someone still owns a gas vehicle, is the plan to make it extremely expensive to license and get insurance for the vehicle?
But if someone still owns a gas common sense vehicle and pays all of the extra tax/penalties to drive the car, truck, ATV, snow machine. Will the hamlet/city in the next 2, 3 years blind follow to ban gas vehicles from their roads?
Will the GN, Inuit Orgs and Hamlets quickly realize, with loud voice the insane pickle they are in over a foreign agenda control belief?
Or is our country’s sovereignty already breached?
Thanks for your comments, MF