politics
Critique Against Carney’s Arctic Billion-Dollar Investment: “We Need Real Action, Not More Announcements”
The opposition party to Canada's Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, believes Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has weakened the Canadian Arctic over an entire decade.
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Last Thursday, Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney (Liberal) announced billion-dollar investments in the military and infrastructure in the country's Arctic regions.
The government plans to invest an additional CAD 32 billion to strengthen the country's sovereignty in the Arctic.
The announcement, however, is met with strong criticism from the opposition party, the Conservative Party.
In a press release, the Shadow Minister for Arctic Affairs, Bob Zimmer, and the Shadow Minister for National Defence, James Bezan, accuse the government of having failed the Canadian Arctic for an entire decade.
Increasing vulnerability
The two shadow ministers say Canada's Arctic is more vulnerable than ever and criticise the government for a lack of action.
“The Liberals' pattern of the past ten years in the North is abandoned projects, forgotten communities and ever-increasing vulnerability. Now, foreign powers are actively eyeing up our Arctic territory,” said Zimmer.
The press release states that the opposition is pleased that the government is now adopting more of what they claim are the Conservatives' previous proposals, but believes the delivery is nonexistent.
“We must reassert our sovereignty over the Canadian
Arctic immediately and stand up for northern families," he asserts.
The conservatives also propose a number of measures to strengthen the Arctic economy and meet allies' energy needs, including:
- Repeal of law C‑69 and law C‑48
- Abolition of the industrial carbon tax
- Establishment of a Canadian-controlled strategic energy reserve
- Maximum approval period of six months for major energy infrastructure projects
Propose several new permanent bases
Bezan believes the government has left the Arctic in a vulnerable situation.
“The lost Liberal decade has left us with a gaping vulnerability in our Arctic that disappoints our allies and emboldens our adversaries. Mark Carney is great at making big splashy spending announcements, but that’s not the goal – capability is. Today, the Liberals fall short of that again,” he says.
In light of the increasing uncertainty in the Arctic, the conservatives propose the establishment of new permanent bases in Iqaluit, Churchill, and Inuvik, as well as four new icebreakers, not just two.
“Conservatives remain committed to ensuring the Canadian Armed Forces have a permanent presence in the Arctic,” Bezan concluded. “But we need to see real action, not more announcements about the Major Projects Office, which has yet to do anything," says Bezan.
