How the NWT’s candidates envisage a post-diamonds economy

Diamond mines are a hot topic this week.

The NWT government has sent the territory’s three active diamond mines a $15-million relief package to weather a suppressed market.

To that backdrop, the CBC asked the territory’s four federal election candidates to set out their vision of the NWT’s post-diamonds economic future during a live forum on Tuesday evening.

Here are the answers each candidate gave, in the order they were asked.

You can read more from the CBC forum in our main article on the broadcast, and catch up on federal election coverage in full at our election hub.

We also have a detailed breakdown of the promises each party is making on issues that affect the North.

Transcripts below have been lightly edited for clarity.

Kelvin Kotchilea

We’ve got to look at land claim negotiation and self-government. When we don’t have land claims settled, we don’t know which lands are available for development, especially with half of our territory unsettled. When you look at the mine closure, we also have the lithium mine across from Yellowknife Bay that could be potentially starting, as well as Fortune Minerals in the Tłı̨chǫ region.

And if you put the Mackenzie Valley Highway from Wrigley all the way to Inuvik, you also make it possible for oil and gas or mineral exploration in the Sahtu, as well as the Beaufort. We actually have exploration companies in that area looking and doing sampling for natural gas and oil.

So there is a lot of potential. At the same time, it’s going to come back to land claim settlement, which is hindering development as a whole across the Territories. And when you look at hiring numbers, they don’t employ a whole lot of northern residents. At the same time, who’s collecting the majority of these royalties? So for us to look at viability, our Indigenous governments have to receive meaningful shares of equity, shares of these diamond mines or mineral mines or oil and gas.

This IBA, you know, $1.2 million fixed income is a joke, especially coming as a Tłı̨chǫ beneficiary. We could have been talking about multi-million dollars that could have fixed the housing shortage in my region if these mines were serious about partnership, rather than tokenism and taking advantage of us in an era that we’re still negotiating land claims.

Kimberly Fairman

Recognition that the resource sector is actually one of the key supportive sectors for our whole economy here in the Northwest Territories. Unfortunately, we are about 10 years behind, I would say, in terms of having to respond with a plan.

Exploration has been very slow or almost stagnant, and part of the reason behind that is companies are reticent to make an investment in exploration when they aren’t sure they’re going to be able to get a return on that investment.

I think, you know, making sure that there is clarity and certainty for First Nations governments and for the resource development sector is key. So going back to this issue of settling land claims and making sure there are the resources put towards making those agreements a reality for people in the Northwest Territories, and then providing that certainty around exploration and development.

The Conservative government also has plans around – and did the work of – sitting down and listening to First Nations, Indigenous communities, who put forward a plan that included a First Nations resource charge policy. And this is a solution that First Nations want to see as well. It gives them direct access to taxes related to resource development, as opposed to having to go back to the federal or territorial governments and ask for those monies back. So it’s a direct benefit for them when resource development projects go ahead on their land.

I think the other key thing is: what we’re aiming for is Indigenous communities being back in control of their money and their land, which really will put them in charge of making decisions for people for the future. I have other things that I think would bridge us to a point where we can be back. Of course, the Conservative government is going to look at rapid approval of those kind of projects, look for shovel-ready things, and make sure we can move into an era where the economy of the North is booming again.

Rainbow Eyes

Settling the land claims in consultation with the people and communities, going into the communities and listening and hearing to what they have to say. I can connect this with the Dehcho Process and the Acho Dene Process, with the consultation, with the land resources of the Indigenous peoples, with the public government.

This is really new territory, because in the past it has been done wrong. So going forward, the right steps need to be taken. And again, it’s working together. It’s getting the community members together. It’s getting the government together as equals, and figuring out the best steps for the Nations is what’s important.

Rebecca Alty

I think there’s so much opportunity here in the North, and we’re just at the tip of it. So one of the things the Liberal government’s doing is really focusing on those nation-building projects, so things like the Grays Bay port and road. Canada, we’ve got three oceans, and we need to make sure we’re using that and – with climate change – that can become a really viable and important resource, and so making sure that we’re ready for that.

Other things we’re looking at is an Indigenous loan guarantee increase from $5 billion in that fund to $10 billion. Settling land claims, of course, is really important to ensure the certainty and then to increase Indigenous participation in the economic opportunities in their regions.

Our Land for the Future is providing jobs across the NWT. That’s 375 million over 10 years. That’s going to support conservation. It’s sovereignty, it’s climate change, it’s cultural preservation.

Really looking at labour mobility, so to increase the opportunity for people to work across Canada. We see that in in the Northwest Territories, the challenge of recruiting and so removing some of those barriers.

Looking at the tax credits: broadening the critical mineral exploration tax credit, modifying the clean technology manufacturing investment tax credit, expanding eligible activities under the Canadian exploration expenses – and also, with all this opportunity, really making sure that Indigenous governments have the capacity to participate, so doubling capacity in the Indigenous governments to be able to ensure that they are able to meaningfully participate in all the review processes.