"Why Canada is fortunate to be a Northern Country"

Notes for an address by
Honourable Stéphane Dion the
President of the Privy Council and
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

before the
Council for Canadian Unity

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

June 21, 1999

Good afternoon.

I am pleased to be here today with my colleague, the Honourable Ethel Blondin-Andrew. Ethel, over the past few days, I have had an opportunity to visit parts of your remarkable riding, which you serve so well in the House of Commons.

Thank you to the Council for Canadian Unity, Michèle Stanners and Nick Sibbeston for inviting me to be here with you.

The top of the world, as I see it, is not in the Himalayas, or at least not only. Instead it has always been the Canadian North, its vastness, the rigour of its climate, and the strength of the traditions among its people.

Like most Canadians, my understanding of the North was shaped by the literature of those who visited the region and fell in love with its beauty. Writers like Jack London and Robert Service, Yves Thériault and Roger Frison-Roche, have given generations of Canadians, indeed the world, a romantic vision of the North. These eloquent voices are complimented by the artistry of those who live here -- from the beautiful carvings of the Cape Dorset artisans to the drumming of the Dene. Clearly, these images of the North have left a mark on the Canadian psyche. As Louis-Edmon Hamelin, the father of Canadian northern studies has said: "The North is more than an area, it is a passion." (Nordicity, p. 9)

So you can guess how pleased I am finally to see the North with my own eyes. On this, my first visit, I brought the world with me: 17 ambassadors, representing every continent of the planet are here, invited by the Government of Canada to witness and then testify in their own countries to the magnificence and the potential of your land.

Since we left Ottawa, on Tuesday, we have seen Iqaluit, Resolute, Cambridge Bay, Baker Lake, Inuvik, Old Crow, Dawson City, Whitehorse and now Yellowknife. My only regret is that my time here has been too short, and so I hope to come back again and again.

The fact is that Canadians are fascinated by the North, but that does not mean that we necessarily understand it well. We have trouble coming to terms with the crucial role that the North and the peoples of the North play in our national life, and especially in shaping our national identity.

There may be several factors that can account for this. First, there are the vast distances. Geographically speaking, the North is far away for most Canadians. Or perhaps it is the sheer size of the area, the harshness of the winter climate and the diversity of the population that challenge our imagination.

But I wish that all Canadians, and especially all my fellow Quebecers, could have the chance to take the same trip as I have, because then, let me tell you, the unity of our country would be stronger than ever.

If all Canadians, including Quebecers, had the chance to see and experience the grandeur of our country, to take in its infinite horizons in both time and space, and commune with the magic and mystery of the North, they would see that their hearts and souls can grow as big as their country – a world unto itself that is enriched by the traditions of ideals of all its citizens.

Today, on National Aboriginal Day, a day that has particular significance in the North, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities in the North. The fact is, the North has shaped Canada as a country more than we realize. So too, Canada as a country has shaped the North.

1.         Canada's Northernness and the North's Canadianness

There are many factors that help shape a society: language, culture, religion, shared history. Perhaps no factor is more important than geography. It sets the parameters within which activity can take place. Undoubtedly, our geography makes us a northern nation. After all, the territory north of 60 accounts for nearly 40% of Canada's land mass. We must ask ourselves how our northernness has marked us as a country.

John Ralston Saul recently took up this question. While examining the Canadian character, he noted: "In Canada, the restrictions of [...] difficult geography have meant that great individual initiative will always be needed, but so will great public initiative." (Reflections of a Siamese Twin, p.172). This is because our climate has always necessitated solidarity. Survival in a northern environment has required great individual initiative and inventiveness, on the one hand, and working together, making alliances and relying on neighbours, on the other hand. This has been the case for centuries. From the time that the first nomadic peoples crossed the Bering land- bridge thousands of years ago, to the arrival of the first Europeans, to the opening of the interior to immigrants in the 19th century.

This is perhaps one of the greatest advantages that Canada has as a northern country: our geographic reality has helped to shape our Canadian sense of community and mutual responsibility. The geographical fact of our northernness has moulded our way of viewing the world.

And it is no coincidence that Canada is among an elite few Northern countries in the world. As a member of the Arctic Council, Canada was the first Chair of this organization that deals with a wide range of social, economic and environmental issues pertaining to the North. The council includes Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, the United States and international Arctic indigenous organizations. This organization presents another important forum for Canada to share and cooperate with other members of the world community. You can see the propensity to cooperate reflected in the governing systems within Canada's North. The governments of the NWT and Nunavut are based on consensus, rather than conflict. I believe that it is also reflected in our federal system. This system is the product of the values that Canadians share: solidarity, generosity and openness. You could say that these are the same values fostered by our northernness. Federalism is about accommodation and mutual respect -- about embracing, organizing and making the most of our sense of interdependence.

These values are evident in the North as the key to your success in preserving your cultures and traditions while adapting to new economic, technological and political realities. For centuries, Northerners have learned to co-exist with the natural world and adapt to the elements. They have also adapted to changing social realities. The Inuvialuit, Dene and Métis people have withstood the transition from life on the land to life in permanent communities. This was often a painful and difficult process. Today, traditional ways of life exist side-by-side with modern technologies and modern development.

In many parts of the world, technological development is diluting cultures and weakening identities. When people have access to new means of transportation and communication, when their view of the world is framed by the mass media, their boundaries expand. They no longer live just in their own place. As a result, they risk losing their own stories and traditions that are unique to them. Cultures with oral traditions are particularly vulnerable. But the various Northern peoples who inhabit this region have shown a determination to preserve and promote their respective languages and cultures. They are also finding unique ways of expressing their cultures. Last night I had the pleasure to attend the Commissioner's Potlatch in Whitehorse. There we heard a young Aboriginal woman who had just completed her classical training in opera at the University of Victoria, who sang a traditional Aboriginal song in an operatic arrangement. It was truly breathtaking.

Canada celebrates and recognizes the strength that comes from diversity. Tragically, this has not always been the case. But today, Canada strives to be a place where different peoples and varied cultures can prosper and grow. The Canadian system strives to safeguard our plural identities and to make it possible for your Northern identities to be recognized and embraced across the country.

To sum up, you can see how much the North defines the Canadian reality and distinguishes our country from other members of the international community. This definition of our existence applies to our past, our present and especially to our future, as well as to the future of humanity. The changes taking place in the North, its resources and its people will shape the 21st century. We should not forget that the North is one of the Earth's three ecological barometers: the North, Antarctica and the Amazon. The North has a particular influence on the Atlantic and Pacific.

So, you can see how much Canada's South and North have in common and how mutually important their help and sharing is. This mutuality is also evident when we look at the economic challenges and opportunities for the North.

2.         Challenges and opportunities for the North

I know that the challenges you have to face are great. The first, and most critical, is education to even the gaps between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Northerners and to secure the future development of the North. Happily, there are signs of progress. In 1991, 27% of the population of the NWT had less than a Grade 9 education. In 1996, the most recent available data, it was down to 20%, while the Canadian average was 12%. You must continue in this direction. Education is not just instruction and knowledge. It is also the foundation of our capacity to have positive options in our life and to avoid many destructive life choices that can destroy a life, a family, a community.

Violent crime and suicide: compared with the national Canadian rates, the incidence of these social problems and individual tragedies remains unacceptably high for the North as a whole. The rate of drug and alcohol abuse is also unacceptably high.

Racism, exclusion, and cultural barriers: these social problems are greater for the Aboriginal than the non-Aboriginal population. For the North to succeed, the Aboriginal populations must succeed, since they make up such a large proportion of the population: 23% in the Yukon, 49% here in the NWT and 85% in Nunavut.

The Northern climate will always be a challenge. The sheer immensity of the landscape and the harsh winter weather make connecting communities difficult. It is also difficult to build and maintain infrastructure. While large communities like Yellowknife are sophisticated in this respect, smaller communities, such as Old Crow and Baker Lake, have difficulty building and maintaining adequate transportation, communication and civic infrastructure. This is one area where joint federal-territorial partnerships, such as the Canada-NWT Infrastructure Works Program, are working to improve this situation -- but it is not an easy endeavour.

Northern entrepreneurs too face many barriers accentuated by their geography. They are often far from primary markets. Essential business goods and services are not always easily available. Because of the remoteness of the region, Northern businesses face added transportation and communications costs.

Northern workers, like workers in the rest of Canada, are increasingly expected to have highly specialized training and skills. A lack of these skills is an obstacle to economic progress. Fortunately, the situation is changing, and more and more companies that come to the North are negotiating partnership agreements providing job training and opportunities for professional development to Northerners.

But reflecting on all these challenges and difficulties, I feel very optimistic. Yes, I do, and I will tell you why:

No, the main source of my optimism is not the potential in the rich natural resources of the North. The NWT and Yukon together hold about 25% of Canada's remaining discovered resources of conventional recovered light oil and natural gas. In 1995, the value of natural gas and crude oil production accounted for approximately 10% of the GDP of the NWT. More importantly, from a development perspective, is the fact that the North holds an estimated 40% of Canada's future discoveries of light oil and natural gas.

Neither is the main source of my optimism the new potential for regional economic development in diamond mining, with the first Canadian diamond mine now open not too far from Yellowknife. This mine, which I just had the opportunity to tour, is expected to have at least a 25-year life span and to contribute well over $2.5 billion directly to the economy of the Northwest Territories and as much as 7% of the world's diamond production.

And no, the main source of my optimism is not the new modern communication technologies that are providing Northerners, and all Canadians, with the capacity to remove a lot of the barriers of geography and time, more than ever before. The Internet, for instance, is providing new links between Northern communities and the South. Through programs like Connections Canada, all public schools and 40% of public libraries in the NWT and Nunavut are now on-line.

No, the source of my confidence in the Canadian North, in the NWT, is first and foremost because of you: Northerners. You are a diverse group of Canadians, with various Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations. But this is an asset. Because if Canada has a raison d'être, it is to live up to the conviction that diversity is not a problem, diversity is a strength -- we have the opportunity to pull together different populations for a common purpose.

We have learned, though too often only with difficulty, that the true meaning of Canada, its true greatness, is the diversity of its population. The North is a perfect illustration of that greatness.

For example, the cultures of the Aboriginal Peoples bring us their central values of the sense of the spirit of the land, the necessity of recognizing the fragility of the Northern environment, respect for the elders and for their experience. All of this ensures a better prospect for sustainable development in the North.

Indeed, development and tradition can and must co-exist in all aspects of Northern life. I spoke earlier about the importance of education: it is a sociological fact that the better educated a population is, the greater its desire and ability to keep its language and culture alive. I was deeply struck by my conversation in Cambridge Bay with Mr. Larry Aknavigak, who is the Chair of the Nunavut Impact Review Board. Sent away from his community to a residential school, Larry lost his language. His mother speaks no English and for years, to communicate with her, Larry had to have his father translate. But five years ago, as an adult, he committed himself to relearning the language he had once spoken fluently as child. And now Larry has the advantage of both scientific knowledge of environmental assessment and the generational wisdom of his elders.

Similarly, I have met during my trip many young Aboriginal persons who have committed themselves to learning from their elders the traditions that were in danger of being forgotten: traditional arts, throat singing, hunting, fishing, trapping, and driving a dog team across the frozen tundra. Often, part of their motivation is in the potential for tourism. Here again I am struck how compatible modernity and tradition can be -- that they can form a virtuous cycle instead of a vicious cycle.

The boom in your tourism industry is due to an increased awareness and interest around the world in the charms of your land and your cultures. Last summer the NWT saw an increase in campground and park revenue by 22% over 1997. While revenues were up in all regions, the largest gains were made in the North and South Slave Lake regions. According to statistics, 50,000 non-residents came to the western part of the NWT for pleasure and business between May and September, 1998. That is at least 12% higher than the numbers just five years ago. Industry and government are working together to develop new ways to sell this region to the rest of the world. A large part of what attracts visitors to the North is the purity of its air and water, the plentifulness of its wildlife. I know it is also the need to understand the spirit that moves this land and its people. This wilderness is fragile, and Northerners know they will continue to have to balance economic development with respect for the environment.

Because the Government of Canada understands the need to reinforce this virtuous cycle of development and tradition, it strongly supports territorial autonomy, collective responsibility, and self-government for the people of the land. Through the Government of Canada, all Canadians are assisting Northern Canadians, not to create dependency, but to support you in finding your own ways of development, the Northern spirit.

The creation of Nunavut is part of this approach. The more than 80 self-government agreements, each in various stages of negotiation with Aboriginal Peoples across the country, are part of that approach. These include the claims that have been successfully completed in the NWT, including the Inuvialuit Final Agreement in 1984, the Gwich'in Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement in 1992, and the Sahtu Dene and Metis Agreements in 1994.

This collective autonomy must be rooted in individual autonomy, including in the private sector. A strong, independent and successful business community has emerged in the NWT. Statistics show that the Northern business community is growing at a steady rate. New business start-ups during 1998 reached 293, a considerable increase over the 1997 figure of 102. During 1998, each region of the NWT benefited from new business start-ups. This speaks of a growing entrepreneurial spirit that is alive and well in the Northern region. The same must also apply for members of the workforce. They must continue to take advantage of growing opportunities to diversify their skills and experience.

The territorial and federal governments can support this autonomy in a number of ways, for example, by providing business development loans, promoting community literacy programs, establishing business centres to provide strategic business advice to individuals and communities, or most recently, by injecting $48 million into the Youth Employment Strategy for Inuit and First Nations youth.

Governments can and must help you through a number of different avenues. But the real source of your strength, and the source of my optimism for the future of this region, can be found in yourselves -- in what I called earlier your great individual initiative and your great communal initiative.

Conclusion

In the Cabinet's Agenda for the New North launched in February, the Government of the NWT spoke of "beginning a new journey [...] in the North". It called for the creation of a "new North". Achieving this will require shared imagination and the commitment of all of society -- including Northerners and Southerners, together. I have no doubt in my mind that this is attainable.

Yes, a new North is being built. As the Northwest Territories, along with its Northern neighbours -- Nunavut and the Yukon -- look to the 21st century, there is a great deal to be optimistic about. This new North will be built by individuals, communities and governments -- working together to achieve common goals. This spirit of cooperation is the Canadian way, the Northern way. You cannot divide those two -- because in so many respects they are one and the same.

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