NAN Calls on Prime Minister to Apply Same Investment Ambition to First Nations Infrastructure

THUNDER BAY: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) is calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to apply the same investment ambition in First Nations communities following his announcement in Thunder Bay today of a $4.7 billion investment for rail passenger cars.

“We understand the need to strengthen the Canadian economy, but investing in Canada must also mean investing in First Nations communities. The Prime Minister talks about building Canada Strong but First Nations are falling further behind. There is a crippling lack of transportation infrastructure across NAN territory that cannot continue to be ignored while billions are allotted to support infrastructure elsewhere in the country,” said Grand Chief Fiddler.

More than 30 First Nation communities in Northern Ontario have no year-round road access, relying on winter roads that are increasingly threatened by climate change. As temperatures rise, the season for these roads grows shorter every year, cutting communities off from essential goods, services and emergency response they depend on.

Airports serving remote and fly-in communities are critically underfunded. Community runways currently average 3,500 feet. They need to be 5,000 feet and paved to safely accommodate the aircraft required for emergency evacuations, medical care, and basic supply delivery. Upgrading the 29 remote airports serving NAN communities is estimated to cost between $1.2 and $1.5 billion. Without this investment, communities remain dangerously isolated.

“The Prime Minister talked today about investing in infrastructure that will secure ‘our future.’ We see nothing in his announcement so far to convince us that First Nations are included in that future. We are calling on Canada to prove otherwise with the same ambition, the same urgency, and the same scale of investment,” said Fiddler.

The gap between what is needed and what is being invested is not a rounding error. It is a policy choice – and one that continues to violate the right of NAN First Nations to adequate housing and self-determination. First Nations are rights-holders, Treaty partners, and full citizens of this country. If Canada is serious about building strong for everyone, it must bring that same resolve to closing the infrastructure gap in First Nations communities.

For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca