Canada's first stand-alone minister of northern affairs says he'll be doing anything but standing alone.
"The way I look at it, my ministry is responsible for all of those issues — environment, transportation, resource development — but for the North," said Dan Vandal, the Manitoba member of Parliament who heads the first ministry in the country's history to be focused on the Arctic.Canada has had some sort of northern affairs ministry for decades, but it's always been wrapped in with other areas such as resource development or Indigenous concerns.
"It's the sort of portfolio where it touches on so many different things," he said in an interview with The Canadian Press. "Those all have stand-alone ministries and I'm a stand-alone minister, so I need to develop protocols on how we're going to tackle these things."In the dying days of their last mandate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals released an Arctic policy framework that was widely seen as lacking specific policy direction.
"I want to make sure that Nutrition North is as effective as it possibly can be. I want to make sure the budgets are adequate." Vandal said he wants his priorities set by northerners. Lots of meetings with territorial premiers and Indigenous leaders are in the offing.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Trudeau Highlights Canadian Christmas Traditions In Annual Holiday AddressPrime Minister JustinTrudeau says giving back is Canada's greatest gift of all
Read more »
Canada Receives 1st New Search-And-Rescue Plane, Despite Safety ConcernsCanada's new search-and-rescue plane arrives, despite safety concerns
Read more »
Encore no more? Musicians debate if forced concert callbacks are out of styleThe banality of encores has long been a frustration for some musicians, but in recent years a growing number of notable acts have taken a stand against performing them at all.
Read more »
From Canada’s most-wanted fugitives to the Raptors’ biggest fan, catch up on The Globe’s top long reads of 2019In a year filled with many great pieces of journalism, these are the long-form stories that stood out to readers
Read more »
Israeli military says Gaza rocket intercepted as Netanyahu held election rallyThe Israeli Prime Minister was forced from a stage during a rally in Ashkelon
Read more »