Isuma News

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to carry out official visit to Canada from 12 to 20 October 2013

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Professor James Anaya, will carry out an official visit to Canada from 12 to 20 October 2013. The aim of the Special Rapporteur's visit to Canada is to examine the human rights situation of the indigenous peoples of the country. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur will hold meetings and consultations with government officials, as well as with indigenous nations and their representatives in various locations.

The Special Rapporteur is currently developing his agenda to visit locations throughout Canada. Further information and updates about the agenda of the Special Rapporteur, including opportunities to participate in consultations, will be made public on the website of the Special Rapporteur as it becomes available: www.unsr.jamesanaya.org. Please check that website periodically for updates.

The Special Rapporteur invites indigenous peoples and organizations, and other interested parties, to send information relevant to the visit to Canada or any other aspect of the mandate to: indigenous@ohchr.org. Please be aware that, due to the large volume of invitations and information submitted, the Special Rapporteur may not be able to respond individually to each request.

The findings from the Special Rapporteur's visit will be reflected in a preliminary report that will be submitted to Canada for its comments and consideration. A final version of the report will be circulated publicly and presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The report will include recommendations to Canada, indigenous governing bodies and, possibly, other interested parties on how to address issues of ongoing concern to indigenous peoples.

Letters to the Editor (The Guardian)

Allow me to respond to Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver's letter to the editor - "Clarification from Oliver" - August 29:

With all due respect, this is the same minister who said that it would be safe to drink from the Alberta oil sands' highly toxic tailing ponds in a few years. And I'm sure that Minister Oliver does not want to get into a debate about the ethical practices of Canadian mining companies in Latin America. The highly suspect record of those companies speaks for itself. More to the point, all this talk about "corporate social responsibility" is just talk and little more than PR spin and a sham. This, too, has been well documented.

What I was really getting at in my op-ed piece, though, was the Harper government campaign to torpedo the private member's bill (C-300) by Liberal MP John McKay on holding Canadian extractive companies to account. It wasn't perfect, but it did mark an improvement over the current voluntary code for Canadian firms. Bill C-300, had it passed, would have established a set of binding standards that companies would have had to meet if they hoped to receive any support from government agencies and institutions (like the Canada Pension Plan and Export Development Canada). It would have also created a complaints mechanism to investigate, without the consent of the companies themselves, corporate compliance with these same standards.

But because Minister Oliver's party opposed this initiative, it clearly exposed where his government stood on making Canadian mining companies more accountable for their actions abroad.

Peter McKenna,
Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science,
University of Prince Edward Island,
Charlottetown.

---

"Clarification from Oliver"

Peter McKenna alleges that the Harper government “fought” against efforts to hold mining companies accountable for their actions (Re: Holding Canadian mining companies to account, August 20, 2013).

To the contrary, Canada joined the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2007. This initiative supports improved transparency in resource-rich developing countries through the full publication and verification of company payments and government receipts from oil, gas and mining operations in EITI implementing countries.

In March 2009, our government also announced a Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for the Canadian International Extractive Sector.

Last June, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that our government would establish new mandatory reporting standards for companies in the Canadian extractive industry. This policy will result in transparency of payments made to domestic and foreign governments.

Canada’s mining sector, which employs more than 300,000 Canadians, already leads the world in responsible mining practices. As of the end of 2011, close to 850 Canadian mining companies operated abroad. This latest initiative will allow Canadians and people in countries where our companies operate to know the economic benefits that Canada’s mining companies contribute to their respective governments. It will enhance the reputation of the Canadian mining sector and promote a level playing field for Canadian companies abroad.

Our government expects that extractive industries will meet the high standards of transparency and accountability that have been introduced since 2006.

Joe Oliver,
Minister of Natural Resources,
Ottawa, ON.

www.theguardian.pe.ca

QIA must approve Inuit impact and benefits agreement and commercial production lease

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association’s board of directors, who represent Inuit from communities in Nunavut’s Baffin region, plan to hold a special meeting in Iqaluit this week to talk about some big issues, including an impact and benefit agreement and commercial production lease with Baffinland Iron Mines Corp, developer of the Mary River project.

“Our board usually meets twice a year however, under special circumstances, we have agreed to meet this month to decide on some pressing issues of priority,” said Okalik Eegeesiak, the QIA’s president, in a Sept. 3 news release.

At this meeting, the board will also appoint a new acting vice-president.

And the board members will receive briefings on the Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreement-in-Principle and commercial production lease for Baffinland Iron Mine Corp.‘s Mary River iron mine project.

Their meeting is likely to be capped off by resolutions calling for the approval of the two agreements.

Article 26 of the NLCA requires that before a large development project, like Mary River, can proceed in Nunavut, an IIBA must be reached with a designated Inuit organization.

In 2009, QIA and Baffinland signed a memorandum of understanding agreeing to some economic provisions that would later become part of a final IIBA.

This past April, Eegeesiak said the draft IIBA for the project ran to more than 200 pages.

For Mary River to operate as a mine, QIA and Baffinland must also finalize a commercial production lease.

This lease will touch on matters including rent, boundaries, water use fees, a quarry concession agreement, environmental conditions, authorities for QIA inspectors and auditors, required plans and reporting, and the amount and type of financial security.

Baffinland wants to build an iron mine at Mary River in northern Baffin Island that would produce 3.5 million tonnes of iron ore a year — a big step down from the much larger mine that the company planned to build until this past January when owners announced they would go ahead with a scaled-down project.

The “early revenue” phase of that scaled-down project would lead eventually to the construction of a larger, approved project to be completed within five years — by early 2019 — and, by 2020, 20 million tonnes of ore would start flowing from Mary River.

The QIA board meeting takes place from Sept. 4 to Sept. 5 at the Anglican Parish Hall in Iqaluit.

www.nunatsiaqonline.ca

Arctic Fibre has successfully completed the identification of seven cable-landing points across Nunavut as part of its 15,700 km subsea fibre optic network through the Northwest Passage between London, England and Tokyo, Japan. The Arctic Fibre project also enables the construction of a local broadband network that can serve the 52% of Nunavut’s population living in communities adjacent to the backbone network.

During the past week, a seven-person team consisting of Arctic Fibre staff, AECOM environmental consultants, civil works contractor Ledcor Industries, network design engineer WFN Strategies, Ajungi Consulting, and TE SubCom travelled 4,150 miles to visit the communities of Iqaluit, Cape Dorset, Hall Beach, Igloolik, Taloyoak, Gjoa Haven and Cambridge Bay.

Information sessions and consultations were well attended, with representatives of the federal and territorial governments, hamlet councils, Hunters and Trappers Associations, Community Land and Resource Committees, Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Qikiqtani Inuit Association, local businesses, telecommunications carriers and local residents.

“In most instances, we were able to confirm the engineering studies Arctic Fibre has undertaken over the past two years,” said Douglas Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer of Arctic Fibre. “However, we obtained input and local knowledge from residents that led us to modify our landing locations in Cape Dorset, Igloolik and Taloyoak to spots better suited to avoid ice scour, wave action and not interfere with local activities.”

www.lightreading.com

Canada is renewing its Geo-mapping for Energy and Minerals program, with a $100 million commitment over seven years from the federal budget. That follows a previous allocation of $100 million over five years from the federal budget in 2008.
 
The increased reliable geological information will increase investment from companies conducting exploration, including diamond companies. Canada also has gold, rare earths, copper, zinc and lead deposits.

The minerals industry has played an important role to date in facilitating northern development, with GDP contributions in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut of 24.2% and 26%, respectively. In 2012, these areas attracted nearly $450 million in exploration investment.

The GEM program renewal follows skills training announcements from Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a recent northern tour. This includes $5.8 million over two years to support the Northwest Territories Mine Training Society for a new mining sector-skills training program in the Northwest Territories and in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

Harper also announced support for the creation of a new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining, a $5.6 million investment over four years. Both programs aim to help Aboriginal peoples and northerners obtain the training and skills required for well-paying and highly-technical positions in the growing mining industry.

www.israelidiamond.co.il

Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change, and other Isuma projets are now part of a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum as the ROM and Cape Farewell bring together leading artists and scientists to spark a creative response to climate change

ROM Contemporary Culture and the Cape Farewell Foundation present a visionary art exhibition, Carbon 14: Climate is Culture, curated by David Buckland and Claire Sykes. A culmination of a two-year project, the exhibition opens in the Roloff Beny Gallery and Thorsell Spirit House at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on October 19, 2013 – February 2, 2014.

Cape Farewell began the project in November 2011, when artists, including film makers, poets and musicians, met with scientists, economists and other climate change professionals, to spark a creative dialogue on issues related to climate change.

The resulting Carbon 14: Climate is Culture exhibition features 13 art installations, including seven new commissions by Canadian and international artists, from various disciplines, all confronting the facts of climate change and responding in powerful and creative ways.

The exhibition features:

Global Warming, a soapstone and walrus bone carving, by Jaco Ishulutaq;

Our Baffinland a new interactive iPad and photography installation,

Qapirangajuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change, the first Inuktitut language film, both by Zacharias Kunuk and Ian Mauro;

Kobe, a film by Félix Lajeunesse, and Paul Raphaël;

Quniqjuk, Qunbug, Quabaa, a series of photographic portraits by Donald Weber;

Deep Time, a new video project by Melanie Gilligan and Tom Ackers;

The Potential Project, a new installation by conceptual artist, Mel Chin;

#crazyweather, a new motion graphics piece by Sharon Switzer;

Beekeeping for All, a new installation by architect Janna Levitt and artist Myfanwy MacLeod;

Climate Change Atlantic, a new collaborative interactive iPad and photography installation by Ian Mauro, Craig Norris and Ben Phillips;

The Silver Bullet, a new sculpture by David Buckland and Tom Rand;

A Draught of the Blue, a new film by artist Minerva Cuevas;

and The Unsolicited Reply, a new interactive light and sound installation by Lisa Steele and Kim Tomczak.

The ROM Member preview for Carbon 14: Climate is Culture takes place on October 18, 2013. For more information or to purchase a membership, visit www.rom.on.ca/members or call 416 586 5700. The exhibition takes place as part of the Carbon 14: Climate is Culture Exhibition +Festival, a fourmonth program of satellite events, including music, performing arts, talks and special events.

www.rom.on.ca

By: Creamer Media Reporter

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) has welcomed the renewal of the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) programme, saying that it will help facilitate exploration activities in the northern parts of the country.

The federal government has committed a further $100-million over seven years to the GEM programme, building on a previous allocation of $100-million over five years from the 2008 Budget.

“This continued investment in surveying will help the industry better determine where mineral deposits are located and, ultimately, where the next generation of Canadian mines can be developed,” commented MAC president and CEO Pierre Gratton.

He said it made sense for companies conducting exploration to spend their high-risk dollars in areas where good geological data was available in order to heighten the chances of finding a deposit.

“By developing a broader body of reliable geological information, Canada is enhancing its attractiveness as a destination for mineral exploration investment.”

Canada's three territories – Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon – are rich in resources, including gold, diamonds, rare earths, copper, zinc and lead, and geomapping and exploration will help to identify more types of deposits in the region.

MAC stated that roughly three-quarters of the GEM spending was directed toward investment in three territories, where the mapping needs were most acute.

The minerals industry has played an important role to date in facilitating northern development, with gross domestic product contributions in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut of 24.2% and 2% respectively. In 2012, the three territories attracted nearly $450-million in exploration investment.

“There is great interest in Canada's northern mineral potential and the GEM programme is critical to mapping out mineral opportunities in a region where geoscience knowledge is currently lacking," said Gratton.

The GEM programme renewal follows positive skills training announcements from Prime Minister Stephen Harper during his northern tour, including $5.8-million over two years to support the Northwest Territories Mine Training Society for a new mining sector-skills training programme in the Northwest Territories and in the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

Earlier in the week, Harper also announced support for the creation of a new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining to be housed within Yukon College, in Whitehorse, a $5.6-million investment over four years.

www.miningweekly.com

By STEVEN CHASE

Aariak presses Harper to relinquish Ottawa's control over its land and resources

Nunavut, Canada's youngest territory, is getting impatient for the federal government to hand the jurisdiction province-like control over its land and resources, saying the intense international focus on the region makes a handover all the more urgent.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper got an earful from Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak on the topic when he stopped in Rankin Inlet on Thursday on his annual summer tour of Northern Canada.

"I find things are moving very, very slowly," Ms. Aariak told reporters. "I am getting more and more concerned about the fact that the start of devolution negotiations is taking longer than expected."

Nunavut came into being in 1999 when it was split from the Northwest Territories, but the federal government has retained control over some powers traditionally exercised by provinces.

The Northwest Territories inked a consensus agreement with Ottawa in June that would transfer decision-making authority over Crown land, water and natural resources to the territorial government and aboriginal groups, as well as a share of royalties paid by companies that extract minerals or energy.

Sparsely populated Nunavut, where more than 31,000 people live, wants a similar arrangement. "Nunavut is the last remaining jurisdiction to have decisions about its land and resources made by ministers in Ottawa," Ms. Aariak said.

Mining projects dot Nunavut, but the expectation is that devolution, or this power transfer, could spur more development, as it is expected to do in neighbouring NWT.

The Northwest Passage – the sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans – runs through Nunavut and melting ice is making it easier for shipping through the Arctic archipelago. This also increases the risk of environmentally damaging marine disasters in the area.

"The world is looking at Nunavut and the Arctic," Ms. Aariak said. "Resource development is happening and the shipping season is getting longer and longer due to changes in sea-ice conditions."

The Prime Minister's Office did not publicly discuss the meeting between Mr. Harper and Ms. Aariak, but the Premier released a statement on Thursday saying the Conservative Leader told her that Ottawa "would be ready to engage in substantive negotiations before 2014." However, the Premier's Office later changed the statement, eliminating this phrase and instead saying the Nunavut leader was "pleased that Prime Minister Harper once again confirmed his support for devolution."

Mr. Harper is nearing the end of his annual summer tour of the Arctic.

While in Rankin Inlet, a hamlet on northwestern Hudson Bay, he announced funds to finish mapping the geology of the Canadian North, a project expected to take until 2020 and generate data that will be used by companies to uncover more energy and mineral wealth in the area.

The $100-million will help fund a geological mapping program that creates more detailed surveys of what lies beneath the ground in Arctic and sub-Arctic Canada. It will help identify areas of high potential for gold, nickel, rare metals, base metals and diamonds.

The prospecting industry estimates that the mapping will generate at least $500-million in exploration efforts by private companies.

"Our investment will continue to unlock the full economic, mineral and energy potential of the region, while generating new government revenues, private-sector investment and jobs," Mr. Harper said.

The Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals (GEM) program was launched in 2008.

www.theglobeandmail.com

Article by Johanna Fipke, Michael J. Bourassa and Steven Catania

On June 29, 2013, the Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada ("AANDC") published a notice of proposed changes to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Mining Regulations (the "Current Regulations") in the Canada Gazette and is seeking public comment during a sixty (60) day period ending on August 28, 2013.

Links to the proposed changes can be found at: Northwest Territories Mining Regulations and Nunavut Mining Regulations.

In an effort to modernize the current mineral tenure framework in the Northwest Territories ("NWT") and Nunavut, AANDC has proposed to split the Current Regulations into two distinct regulations:  the Northwest Territories Mining Regulations ("NWT Regulations"), which would apply to Crown lands in NWT; and the Nunavut Mining Regulations ("Nunavut Regulations"), which would apply to Crown lands in Nunavut.  According to AANDC, the proposed changes, which would create legislative and administrative separation between the two jurisdictions, are necessary:

• to facilitate the development of a new online mineral tenure acquisition system in Nunavut, currently scheduled to be implemented in November 2014; and
• to prepare for the devolution of responsibilities over lands and resources from the federal government to the NWT territorial government ("NWT Devolution"), with such devolution set to occur on April 1, 2014.

Although the proposed changes represent a considerable overhaul of the Current Regulations, the bulk of these changes are administrative in nature and do not present many substantive changes that would materially affect the nature of rights that would have otherwise been granted under the Current Regulations.  In addition, save for a few exceptions, the text of the proposed NWT Regulations and the Nunavut Regulations (together, the "Proposed Regulations") is identical.

Some of the more substantive changes include the following:

• eliminating any potential gaps in tenure by changing the mineral lease application deadline from the 10^th anniversary to the 9^th anniversary of the claim (compare s. 58 of the Current Regulations with s. 57(2)(b) of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• changing the annual application period for prospecting permits from between December 1 to December 31 of each year to a much longer period of between February 1 to the last business day in November (compare s. 29(4) of the Current Regulations with s. 9(2)(b) of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• eliminating s. 48 of the Current Regulations dealing with safety issues covered by other legislation;
• repealing dispute resolution provisions that address access disputes between surface rights holders and prospectors.  In the future, those disputes will be governed under the Nunavut Waters and Nunavut Surface Rights Tribunal Act in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories Surface Rights Board Act  (compare s. 70 of the Current Regulations with s. 6(b) of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• clarifying cancellation provisions for mineral claims and leases, including permitting a claim holder to cancel their claim at any time by submitting a cancellation request to the Mining Recorder along with the prescribed fee (see ss. 41, 50-52, 59-61, 63, and 82 of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• re-iterating the Minister's ability to delay re-opening of lands for staking and prospecting where the Minister of AANDC has reasonable grounds to believe that there is un-remedied environmental damage (see s. 53 of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• establishing provisions for requesting a suspension of payment and work requirements in the event that a claim holder company has received a court order under the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (see s. 48 of each of the Proposed Regulations);
• simplifying provisions granting claim holders extensions on time to meet work requirements and limiting the number of extensions to 3 during the 10-year term of the claim (compare s. 44 of the Current Regulations to s. 47 of each of the Proposed Regulations).

In addition, the proposed changes remove a number of administrative burdens, including:

• moving toward electronic filings (e.g., stakeholders will be able to file reports of work and provide raw data to AANDC electronically);
• eliminating the requirement for duplicate documents and reports (e.g. duplicate copies of lease documents will no longer be needed to transfer a lease and work reports and supporting documentation will no longer be required to be submitted in duplicate);
• eliminating certain required records and details (e.g. certain accounting and personnel records are no longer required);
• simplifying reporting (e.g. if the report deals only with excavation, sampling or the examination of outcrops and surficial deposits — or any combination of them — and the cost of the work is less than $10,000, stakeholder may submit a simplified report);
• eliminating inspection requirements (i.e. stakeholders will no longer be required to prepare for inspection).

However, under the proposed changes, stakeholders would be required to provide a regional geological map and a list of geographic coordinates to locate work sites in a report.

For a full summary and listing of the proposed changes, please see AANDC's Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement.

It is important to note that, despite all these changes, provisions respecting royalties and fees will remain substantially the same.

AANDC plans to implement the Proposed Regulations on April 1, 2014, at the same time as NWT Devolution.  AANDC will be accepting public comment on the Proposed Regulations until August 28, 2013. 

www.mondaq.com

NUNATSIAQ NEWS

"A step in the direction of a new relationship between Inuit and the federal government"

Inuit leaders from across Canada discussed new goals for “the evolving Inuit-federal partnership” with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and members of his cabinet Aud. 22 in Rankin Inlet, during what a news release from Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami called the “first ever” meeting between Inuit leaders and representatives of the Crown.

“This historic meeting was a step in the direction of a new relationship between Inuit and the federal government,” said ITK president Terry Audla in the release, sent out after 10 p.m. Aug. 22.

“We are partners in the implementation of our land claims agreements and we are united in our goals for economic prosperity in Inuit Nunangat.”

At the meeting, called an “Arctic leaders working meeting,” Harper was joined by Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq, who is also minister of the environment, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and the Arctic Council, Bernard Valcourt, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development minister, Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson, and Yukon MP Ryan Leef.

ITK board members at the meeting included Nellie Cournoyea, who chairs the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Cathy Towtongie, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president, Jobie Tukkiapik, Makivik Corp. president, Sarah Leo, Nunatsiavut Government president, Duane Smith, Inuit Circumpolar Council-Canada president, Rebecca Kudloo, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada president, and Thomas Anguti Johnson, National Inuit Youth Council president.

Among other issues, they talked about the inclusion of Nunavik and Nunatsiavut in Arctic policy making because these two regions are often left out of federal programs, specifically designed for the North, due to jurisdictional issues, ITK said.

They also talked about the need for a national Inuit housing program, which would address the critical need for housing, and develop a private home ownership program to help Inuit transition out of social housing and build a private real estate market.

ITK said other areas of discussion included economic development, the need for search and rescue capabilities, funding for skills development and implementation of the National Strategy on Inuit Education, and the need for government to take a more aggressive approach to implementation of Inuit land claims agreements.

Mary Simon, the former president of ITK, first said in January 2012 that Inuit needed to talk with the PM “about some of the critical issues facing Inuit today.”

Some of the issues Simon wanted on the agenda included education in Inuit regions, as well as mental health services — which were not mentioned in the Aug. 22 news release.

Both are issues that Simon said prevent Inuit from taking part fully in the work force.

ITK’s ultimate goal at that time was to host a northern meeting with Inuit leaders, the PM, cabinet ministers and premiers of the Inuit-inhabited territories and provinces, all at the same table.

Also on Aug. 22, Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak met one-on-one with Harper. During their meeting she said they discussed “Nunavut’s priorities,” which included devolution and improved infrastructure.

Harper was scheduled to leave Rankin Inlet Aug. 23 to visit the Raglan nickel mine in Nunavik.

www.nunatsiaqonline.ca

CBC NEWS NORTH

Nunavut regulators have begun the formal review of Baffinland's new plans for a proposed iron ore mine at Mary River, Nunavut.

The Nunavut Impact Review Board is asking for interested parties to review the plans and comment.

The Baffinland iron ore mine at Mary River, Nunavut was approved last year, but in January, the company announced a change of plans.

Those changes involved shipping the ore out of Milne Inlet. Regulators decided that called for another public review.

Interested parties now have until Oct. 15 to provide comments to the Nunavut Impact Review Board.

Baffinland is sticking to its original plan to build a railway and port at Steensby Inlet, but the company says that development will come later. Baffinland says shipping from Milne Inlet means it can start making money sooner.

www.cbc.ca

By STEVEN CHASE

‎S‎tephen Harper trumpeted a federal grant to teach essential mining skills to 400 aboriginal workers in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, an effort to ensure the local population benefits from big resource extraction projects.

The prime minister's annual summer tour of northern Canada coincides with a controversy in neighboring Yukon over a new territorial government effort to import foreign workers for industries such as mining.

‎The $5.8-million over two years will fund a 25-month ‎program delivered with the Northwest Territories Mine Training Society for participants in the NWT and the Kitikmeot region of Nunavut.

"The North's rapidly growing extractive industry is driving prosperity and creating demand for local skilled workers," said Prime Minister Harper. "The support being provided today will help Aboriginal participants in the North gain the training they need to access the jobs and prosperity being generated by the industry's growth."

‎The training is taking place in 11 communities and on three mine sites across the Territories and the Kitikmeot region of ‎Nunavut, including Hay River. Following the training, six local employer partners, including three area mines, will place graduates into jobs.

‎‎The prime minister announced the funds during a stop in Hay River, NWT, on the third day of his 2013 summer tour of northern Canad‎a.‎

Mr. Harper began his eighth annual northern tour of Canada Sunday, embarking on a six-day trip that starts in Yukon before crossing the Arctic Circle to promote mining and other resource extraction in this country's most sparsely populated region.

Like Progressive Conservative chief John Diefenbaker, Mr. Harper has a use-it-or-lose it attitude toward northern Canada that in the early years of his government led to high-profile measures to promote Canadian sovereignty in the resource-rich Arctic.

Now in his eighth year in office, the prime minister is focusing more on economic and social development of a region that struggles with unemployment and the challenge of creating durable jobs.

Mr. Harper's other stops include Hay River, NWT, Gjoa Haven and Rankin Inlet in Nunavut as well as Raglan Mine, the location of a massive nickel mining complex in northern Quebec.

Training will also be delivered at three mine sites in the Territories: Diavik Diamond Mine, Snap Lake Mine and Ekati Diamond Mine.

www.theglobeandmail.com