Okalik’s position on military base clarified

For the record I would like to clarify the position of Premier Paul Okalik regarding the location of possible investments in Nunavut by the Department of National Defence.

In the last two editions of Nunatsiaq News there have been references to the premier supporting a specific community for the location of a military training base.

In fact, Premier Okalik has not stated a preferred location; rather he has publicly supported the federal government’s commitment to investing in national defence infrastructure in our territory.

Following the Conservative Party campaign commitment to locate specific military assets in specific communities, the premier reminded the federal minister responsible that expectations have been raised in these communities.

Both privately and publicly, the premier has advised that if the final decisions differ from the campaign commitments, the federal government must make every effort to identify economic development investment opportunities in communities where promises were made.

Bill Clay
Nunavut Premier’s Office