Time of ‘opportunity’ as Canada asserts its sovereignty, premier says

Council of the Federation’s three-day meeting ends with premiers agreeing to cut ‘red tape’

Canada is at an “incredible moment” for provinces and territories to work together on security and large infrastructure investments including in the Arctic, says Premier P.J. Akeeagok.

“There is so much that we have in terms of opportunities. We have to look from within — the critical mineral potential we have across this country and particular to the North,” he told reporters Wednesday on the final day of the three-day Council of the Federation’s meeting in Huntsville., Ont.

Akeeagok listed Nunavut-specific “nation-building” projects — including Grays Bay road and port, the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre link and a deepsea port in Qikiqtarjuaq — adding that Canada’s communities have to be “healthy” for the nation to assert its sovereignty as a country.

Following Akeeagok’s comments, British Columbia Premier David Eby bid farewell to the outgoing Nunavut premier who will not seek re-election in October, calling him a “huge champion of northern sovereignty and defence.”

Other premiers joined Eby in a round of applause for Akeeagok, who announced earlier in July he will not seek re-election as an MLA in October’s territorial election.

During the premiers’ press conference, a dominant theme was the need to eliminate inter-territorial restrictions on trade and worker mobility during a time of uncertainty in the Canada-U.S. trade relationship.

“We talked about cutting red tape, opening internal markets and building a stronger, more self-reliant economy,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who chaired the gathering that included all 13 of Canada’s premiers.

On Tuesday, Nunavut signed a memorandum of understanding with Ontario, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, agreeing to work together to remove barriers that make it difficult for goods and workers to move between the jurisdictions.

Tariffs imposed and threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump and his musings about Canada becoming the 51st state have united the premiers across the country, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said.

She noted that in the eight months since she was elected premier, she has spent more time talking with the other premiers than her predecessor did in six years.

“Economic conversations that we have been having because of the threat that Trump posed is critical and takes up a lot of space,” Holt said.

Because the premiers meet more frequently, she added, they’ve been able to discuss other issues like immigration, bail reform, and the need for more federal health-care funding.

The meeting in Huntsville happened against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations for a new Canada-U.S. trade agreement. Those talks “absolutely” must include Arctic security because the region is Canada’s “strategic card” in maintaining sovereignty, Akeeagok said Tuesday during a news conference, streamed on CPAC.