Nunavut left off Carney’s 1st list of major projects
Prime minister promises 2nd ‘tranche’ before Nov. 16, hints Grays Bay could be considered
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks in Iqaluit in March. Nunavut projects were not on his first list of nation-building projects his government announced Thursday in Edmonton. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Nunavut didn’t make the cut on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first list of major projects to be recommended for fast-track approval.
But a port and all-season road in the Kitikmeot Region could be on the next list.
Speaking to reporters in Edmonton Thursday, Carney named the first five projects on his list:
- LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, B.C.;
- Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont.;
- the Montréal Port Authority’s Contrecoeur Terminal Container Project;
- McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in Saskatchewan;
- and Red Chris Mine expansion in B.C.
These projects are being referred to the federal government’s newly created major projects office, established this year “to get nation-building projects built faster,” Carney said.
Thursday’s list is the first “tranche” of projects, he added, and the second list will be announced before the Grey Cup game, the Canadian Football League championship set for kick-off Nov. 16 in Winnipeg.
The prime minister also named six “transformational strategies,” which include major projects that are “earlier” in their development phases. The Arctic Economic and Security Corridor, also known as the Grays Bay road and port, was one of them.
That $1-billion project, led by West Kitikmeot Resources Corp., proposes building a 230-kilometre road through western Nunavut, as well as a port on the Northwest Passage that could be used for commercial and military purposes.
“We must fortify Canada’s security and our sovereignty in the Arctic,” Carney said.
“By creating a new port in Grays Bay and unlocking our resources, we can assert our economic sovereignty while building our defences.”
Carney stated that there will be “some federal dollars” spent on the project, but didn’t say how much.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok watched the announcement at the Nunavut legislature Thursday afternoon. He said he is “optimistic” about what he heard.
Akeeagok and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Jeremy Tunraluk have been calling on the federal government to support four key nation-building projects.
Those include Grays Bay, the Qikiqtarjuaq deepsea port, Nukik Corp.’s Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link and Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp.’s Iqaluit hydroelectric project.
“I think just to have the reference of the Arctic Security Corridor is a great way for us to open that door, and it was great to hear the prime minister talk about it as an opportunity for Canada to assert its sovereignty,” Akeeagok told reporters.
Thursday’s announcement made no reference to the other three projects.
However, Akeeagok said he’s “very confident” they meet Carney’s “nation-building” criteria.
“I think it’s important to recognize that the work just doesn’t stop now and that we’ll continue to advocate for the other three as well as we move forward in the coming weeks here,” Akeeagok said.
And you voted in this NDP/Liberal party for what?
Both these parties and their MPs have been useless to Nunavut When you voted Leona and the Conservatives out of office, you delayed any prosperity for Nunavut
Sad, but true. I hope you will remember this atrocity and vote appropriately in the next election.
Look at what naked partisanship does to your mind.
What do you expect PJA to say? I am willing to bet, he is so far into the NDP/Liberal party, that he is expecting to be their next candidate. Don’t fa;; for it my friends
We should not be in the business of subsidizing mining for exports. Why the hell should we build a road to absolutely no where to export the product to another country? And these minions believe the jobs will magically go to every Inuk and they have not had the training to acquire the jobs yet! Come on Canada, you should know better as we deserve better.
China has a near monopoly on the production and manufacture of products using rare earth elements, and other things like gallium and tungsten. China has shown a willingness to restrict access to these materials for trade and geopolitical purposes, and with some success.
Some of the best rare earth element potential in Canada is north of Yellowknife and the southern Kitikmeot.
A road in there to explore and develop these resources would not merely allow companies to sell these things elsewhere.
It would ensure that Canada remains as immune as possible from Chinese economic and political pressure and influence using these materials as leverage.
Jobs and training for Inuit is a worthy goal.
Perhaps people should consider it even more important to ensure we Inuit never become China’s next batch of Uyghurs as a worthy goal too.
Because IIBAs and Royalties.
Just exactly how would a population of 40,000 people really make a difference as a Nation Building project? The scale of economies is just not there, I’m glad he is thinking big, not identity politics. Spend 100s of millions or billions to serve 8000 people in Iqaluit or some other remote communit? Get with it folks.
Kitimat LNG is within several Conservative Ridings.
The Darlington Nuclear project is in a Conservative Riding.
The Montreal Port facility is within Liberal Ridings.
The Saskatchewan Copper Project is in the only Liberal riding in the province.
The BC project is in a Conservative Riding.
It seems both Liberal and Conservative voters are winners from this decision today.
You could surmise a few things about these results.
Perhaps a Liberal PM who is a banker by trade relied on economics instead of politics to decide where our national economy needed a big boost.
Maybe a fiscally conservative Liberal Prime Minister sees more benefit to catering to Conservatives when he knows NDP ridings and MPs would not appreciate the effort.
One thing is for sure though. We have an anti-development MP representing us, and you will not hear a peep of argument from her on this decision.
I expect she will find something absurd to complain about in this yet…
None of the four projects make any economic sense. Anyone who can crunch numbers would realize there is no good business case, not for Canada and not for Nunavut. It’s blatant money grab by southern snake oil salesmen who’ve convinced idiotic bureaucrats and mindless politicians. Nunavut needs projects but most aren’t big or flashy like paved runways, infrastructure for sufficient and safe drinking water, gravel for development and suchlike. GN and NTI needs to do better.
Getting off diesel generators in Iqaluit and Kivalliq communities for power isn’t worth it? How interesting.
$3.2 Billion dollars for the Kivalliq connection to Manitoba is boneheaded and definitely not worth it. All four of Nunavut’s so called nation building projects are simply corporate welfare for Inuit development corporations. These are not the priorities that Nunavut or Canada need.
Liberal leaders always wearing inuit clothing when they go to nunavut 🤦♂️
Problem might be is the federal government the last 3-4 years have given NTI hundreds of millions for infrastructure and training but that money has been differed each year and it’s not getting out, which shows the federal government that Nunavut cannot work with all the funds that they are getting.
I really do not understand why the media is so slow in picking this up with NTI. So much new funding just sitting at NTis bank account not getting out.
Give me the job…I will dispersr every dollar and increase the budget and get nunavut started in spending these funds. I will be happy to help every community and our way of life.