Campaigning in Northern Canada this past week, PM Harper announced that if elected, a Conservative government would establish a regional development agency intended to bulster economic activity in Canada’s North.  Presently, regional development agencies exist for Western Canada and Atlantic Canada.  The Prime Minister asserted that the $300 million annual budget would be drawn from existing programs within the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs.

 The “use it or lose it” slogan has been a centerpiece to the Conservative plateform for Arctic sovereignty during the past two and a half years in power; this pledge is intended to provide depth to this assertion.  Liberal critics feel the Prime Minister should be directing greater attention to spending announcements in areas that would fix the region’s social problems e.g. education and housing.

Stephen Harper is the first Prime Minister to visit the Canadian Arctic during a general election since Pierre Trudeau in 1980.

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Conservatives pledge to assert Arctic sovereignty and promise economic help in the North – Vancouver Sun