Misgoverning the Canadian Arctic – by Sergiy Slipchenko (Excalibur – October 24, 2020)

https://excal.on.ca/

York University’s Community Newspaper

The Canadian Arctic region has been often overlooked by the federal government in favour of more populated provinces, despite the importance and potential it holds. In 2020, a year where the COVID-19 pandemic has taken precedence over every other issue, this is more true than ever.

The Canadian North has often been put aside in the national agenda despite making up 40 per cent of Canada and is home to more than 100,000 residents. While the federal government has done extensive extraction of raw materials in Northern Canada, it is far behind when it comes to developing communities, infrastructure, and defence in the region.

Professor Gabrielle A. Slowey, a political science professor at York, neatly summarized Canada’s ventures in the north.

“The history of the Canadian North has been one of finding shipping routes to make the journey and transfer of goods across easier and expeditious. A lack of infrastructure is a significant issue across the Arctic,” Slowey says.

Since the Yukon gold rush in 1896 northern Canada has been vital for the mining industry. However, the Canadian government has only focused on it for material gains overlooking the communities. The issues that existed in the past have carried over to the present, as none of them were properly addressed.

For the rest of this article: https://excal.on.ca/misgoverning-the-canadian-arctic/