Canada should expand transportation, energy and communications infrastructure across the North to strengthen Arctic sovereignty and unlock natural resources, according to the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.The Winnipeg-based think tank will bring together government, indigenous, industry, national security and infrastructure experts for a two-day conference Sept. 14 and 15 examining the development of strategic utility corridors across northern Canada.The conference, Reclaiming the North: Strategic Utility Corridors for Sovereignty and Economic Development in Canada’s Arctic, will examine what the Frontier Centre says is an opportunity to strengthen Canada's economy, national security and control over its northern territory.“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Canada with the potential to become a game-changing nation-building project,” said Frontier Centre President and CEO David Leis.“Building the infrastructure required to develop and secure the North is not simply an economic question. It is about sovereignty, national security, Indigenous partnership and Canada’s ability to determine the future of its own territory.”The Frontier Centre said Canada's North contains significant natural resources and is becoming increasingly important geopolitically, but inadequate transportation, energy, communications and other infrastructure have limited economic development and Canada's ability to maintain a sustained presence in the region.Strategic utility corridors could provide designated routes for infrastructure connecting northern communities and resources to domestic and international markets, the organization said.The Frontier Centre said improved northern connections could also help reduce or potentially eliminate the price discount on Canadian energy resources by providing greater access to markets..The conference will examine the economic, security, regulatory and financial requirements needed to move such corridors from proposals to construction.A chairman's reception will be held Sept. 14, followed by a full-day forum Sept. 15.Speakers will include retired lieutenant-general Michel Maisonneuve, former chief of staff at NATO Supreme Allied Command Transformation, and Ron Evans, former chief of Norway House Cree Nation.Other participants include national security specialist Scott McGregor, business leader Catherine Swift, marine security expert Allan McDougall, Davie Icebreaker Centre of Excellence director James Bond and Kihew Consulting & Research Chief Impact Officer John Desjarlais.The Frontier Centre describes itself as an independent Canadian think tank researching economic, social and public policy issues. It has operated since 1999.
