It's never enough
Arctic icebreaker, fishing port, tax break a start: northerners
People just aren't as easy to buy off as they used to be.
There is some good news in there, the fishing port being the biggest one, as it holds out at least the possibility of economic growth in Nunavut. Of course, the $8 million the feds are planning on spending there rather pales in comparison to the millions being allocated to refurbish the Nanisivik deep-water port for military use.
The upping of the Northern Resident's tax deduction is welcome, but it still needs to be indexed to the inflation rate. Somehow I don't think 10% covers the rise in the cost-of-living for the last twenty years, and it will be eaten up quite quickly in the years to come.
And, while promising to replace one of Canada's ice-breaker fleet 10 years from now sounds good, I'm waiting to hear about what they plan to do with all the other aging ships. And don't talk to me about those piss-ant patrol boats, we need real icebreakers up here.
All in all, about what I've come to expect from the feds over the years. Lots of promises, very little follow-through, and generally just ignoring the whole region outside what might help their near-term election prospects.
