With the new federal government having vowed in its election platform to improve the lives of Aboriginal Canadians and spend tens of billions on infrastructure projects to offset the economic downturn, it’s a perfect time for aboriginal groups to lobby governments to step up their investments in infrastructure investment in northernmost Canada.
And that’s exactly what the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board (NAEDB) is doing with its new report, “Recommendations on northern infrastructure to support economic development.”
Founded in 1990, NAEDB says its goal is to help Aboriginal Peoples in Canada become economically self-sufficient, and full participants in the Canadian economy. The NAEDB board is made up of 10 First Nations, Inuit and Métis business and community leaders from across Canada, with Clarence Louie, chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band in B.C., serving as chairperson.
The authors argue that Canada’s North is “facing a significant infrastructure deficit — one that is a major barrier to improving the quality of life in northern indigenous communities and acts as the predominant barrier to economic and business development in the region.” (They define the “North” as the three territories and the northernmost reaches of Quebec and Labrador.)
Further, they state “bold investment in large, nation-building infrastructure” is required alongside more investment in local-level infrastructure to support Northern communities, and that indigenous peoples “must be engaged as true partners” along the way.
For the rest of this editorial, click here: http://www.northernminer.com/news/editorial-aboriginal-think-tank-calls-for-bold-vision-with-infrastructure-in-far-north/1003756416/?