A northern transportation strategy for Canada

Northern Canada is a vast region consisting of the three territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut. It is a dramatic and varied landscape with a rich native culture, unique plant and wildlife species and tremendous reserves of mineral wealth. In the future improved transportation access will enable the North to capitalize on its many assets to the benefit of its people, the northern economy and Canada as a whole. However, with these benefits will come an important obligation to protect northern ecosystems, to accommodate the effects of climate change, to preserve native cultures and to safeguard Canada's northern borders and its legitimate sovereign interests in the Arctic. This paper discusses the main considerations surrounding northern access as a suggested basis for a new northern transportation strategy.