On Tuesday, the Conservative minority government unveiled its annual budget. The budget announcement provided some key new features for Canada’s North, including: a 10% increase in the northern residents’ tax deduction (a federal measure to help offset the higher cost of living) which equates to $16.50 per day.
Finance minister Flaherty also touched upon Arctic sovereignty as he announced that the aging Canadian Coast Guard ship Louis S. St. Laurent will be replaced in 2017 with a new $720-million polar-class icebreaker. Over thirty years old, the Louis S. St. Laurent acts as a heavy Arctic icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.
Additionally, the budget has also committed $20-million over the next two years to support extensive mapping of portions of the Arctic and Atlantic seabeds in support of Canada’s claims to continental-shelf rights under the UN Laws of the Sea Treaty.
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