Former PM Harper calls Canadian Arctic development ‘abysmal’
Stephen Harper speaks in Iqaluit at Nunavut Arctic Sovereignty and Security Summit
Former prime minister Stephen Harper speaks with Udlu Hanson in Iqaluit on Friday. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Development of the Canadian Arctic has been “abysmal,” says former prime minister Stephen Harper, but policymakers have the opportunity to change course.
In Iqaluit Friday, Harper, 66, reflected on his tenure as prime minister and on the North during a fireside chat on the final day of the three-day Nunavut Arctic Sovereignty and Security Summit.
Harper was prime minister from 2006 to 2015, leading a Conservative government for nine years.
This was his first visit to the territory since he left office, Harper said.
Udlu Hanson, a Baffinland Iron Mines Corp. vice-president led the discussion, asking Harper for his perspectives on conditions in the North.
“Canada has, compared to most other Arctic countries, an abysmal record of infrastructure development in its north,” he said.
The Canadian Arctic has a “much more inhospitable climate” than other countries’ Arctic territories, and it’s made up of many scattered islands, Harper said.
As well, the federal government’s attention was only truly first drawn to the North in the years around the time of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War in the 1940s and early 1950s.
Today, new threats exist from China, Russia, and from U.S. President Donald Trump’s musings about annexing Canada and Greenland. All of them present a need to bolster Canada’s defence in the North and upgrade infrastructure and economic opportunities in the communities, Harper said.
“I say this is a great opportunity … for us to really find a way to grow that infrastructure,” he said.
As prime minister, Harper drew criticism for using the slogan “use it or lose it” when talking about the need to assert sovereignty in the Arctic.
When Hanson pressed him on that criticism, Harper said the context involved a call to invest in northern communities. That led to increased funding for the Canadian Rangers and other projects.
“That call to action, my summer trips, my annual trips, they really did cause a groundswell of support,” he said.
Harper offered two perspectives to the question of Arctic security.
The “southern” perspective, he said, is bolstering Canada’s military presence. Southern Canadians, he said, “know absolutely nothing” about the North.
For people in the North, he said, security often means secure access to food, housing and infrastructure.
If you “marry” the two ideas together, he said, there are opportunities to construct “nation-building” infrastructure that bolsters both local and national security.
The Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s joint priority projects, such as the Grays Bay road and port, are examples of that, he said.
Harper left a message to current elected leaders about how their decisions can leave a “legacy” in the North. Big projects that may seem challenging to build now can have a lasting impact, he said.
Arctic projects approved during his term that he said still have an impact include the Canadian High Arctic Research Station in Cambridge Bay, the Iqaluit deepsea port and the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway.
“The nation-building things are the things that people will remember,” he said.
“When we get nation-building things coming from the North, see them in that context. And if you see them in that context, you’ll understand that you will build a really important legacy for the entire country.”
His trips north where he roped off people away from him, pushed teachers, hid behind heavy equipment and snuck out the the kitchen back door of the Frobisher Inn. Who would miss those visits??
Like the time back in 2007 he announced that the Harper govt would build a naval base at Nanisivik and then cancelled it because construction in the Arctic was hard.
When he visited the meadowbank gold mine a lot of people were waiting for his arrival but he snuck in to camp not even a hello or what ever until the next day
Ever heard of security? The RCMP dictate what security is required for the PM,
What are you talking about? The refueling facility at Nanisivik is basically built. The question is whether it will ever be used by the Navy.
The Conservative Party is the only hope for Canadians living north of 60. The NDP has proven to be ineffective and the Liberals are lazy and incompetent. This news item is a reminder of the Conservatives investment and honest concern for northerners. The CBC will not report the truth or anything that PM Harper did- they fear conservatives and have developed a campaign to alter the news reporting.
Riiight, and the Leafs are the only hope in the NHL, aren’t they?
Don’t understand why you have down votes. What you are saying is true and i fully agree. Harper is also correct in his statements. The lieberals have been and are abysmal.
The down-votes, I suspect, are all the NDP/Liberal wannabees.
I am always amused when I see Nunavut voting NDP {for how many years now) and then wonder why nothing is done.
You mean the prime minister who led a government so poorly that they had to suspend parliament to avoid a non confidence vote after burning through a surplus left behind by the previous Liberal administration? Btw, Pierre Poilievre was a cabinet minister in that dumpster fire.
The Con’s aren’t the governing party and have poorly in Nunavut elections. Why a struggling mining company would want to associate with a party which never comes close to representing Nunavut is a head scratcher. Nunavut needs new ideas and leadership with a focus on its people not more southern eyes.
Former Prime Minister Harper’s message to all at the recent Arctic Sovereignty and Security Conference was perhaps the most considered and on point of all the speakers. Reflecting after have left office more than a decade ago, his message was clear, building infrastructure and meeting the many challenges we face in the North is tough work- but if we stay the course and engage the right partners, our efforts will have a lasting impact in the yers ahead.
Abysmal eh? Pretty rich statement coming from a PM that made about 3 major Arctic promises (CHARS, Nannisivik and Polar class Ice Breakers) abd then renegged on one of them (new ice breaker fleet)! Methinks Msr Harper needs to take a long hard look in the mirror.
And not much happens at CHARS. Living there, it’s easy to forget it exists.