Liberal Minority Government 2025 - ???

[Humphrey Bogart]

It's not quite like that.

We all know that, in terms of shipping cost, expressed in ton per kilometer, shipping (by sea) is the cheapest, followed by rail, then trucking, and finally, air cargo as most expensive.

So here is an example of the situation we are talking about: Hardware chain BMR (the one I work for ) in Quebec has the contract to provide about 75% of construction materials needs for the Nunavik annual resupply. We get the orders in, and then we know the ships schedules (which one to where and when). We assemble the products at our Chambly store, from our various suppliers, most of which are in the greater Montreal area, but can be as far as Toronto and Chicoutimi, so that all can be packed and crated a few days before the ship's departure. We can accommodate changes to the orders up to 48 hours before departure. When the shipping time comes, our own truck deliver the crates to the port, in 40 to 45 minutes. They often encounter the trucks from Vicwest or Acier Picard delivering the steel construction beams and siding/roofing, both of which produce them at their facilities in Sorel - 1 hour 15 minutes from the port. Most of the other products needed for the resupply be they food or everyday items are in the same situation.

You couldn't do that from Churchill. A lot of that stuff would first have to find its way to Winnipeg (that part is not that hard - just a little more expensive because of the shipping cost by rail/truck over distance) and then sent by train to Churchill. That last part is not only extra cost, but creates a potential bottleneck (single track if something happens) and a need for much longer lead times than "48 hours before shipping" as the cut off time.

It can be done, and IMHO, should be done to the extent possible, but we should be aware that it not a panacea for cheaper resupply of the Arctic.

You have the contract now, given our existing infrastructure constraints . With alternative routing options, someone (or some group) with some entrepreneurial spirit may start their own manufacturing operation to steal that from you.

I am a professional railroader btw, and also have quite a bit of experience dealing with multimodal shipping and bulk commodities. I regularly deal with maritime schedules and manage relationships with a number of different customers.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

All of that is true.

How much is 20% of Canada's landmass, control of Hudson Bay and the Northwest Passage and the associated Economic Exclusion Zones and Continental Shelves wort to you?

Or are we going to fixate on keeping 37,000 locals happy when we could be sending 37,000 southerners north to defend our claim?

As I keep saying the HBC did the job the locals want done for better than 300 years.

Your key word is "incentive".

Is there an incentive for our government to claim jurisdiction in the north?
Is there an incentive for individual southerners to move north, even if it is just temporarily.

RCMP G (NT), M (YK) and V (NU) divisions maintain about 450 personnel in the North. The CCG about another. Both have a permanent presence in Iqaluit.

There seem to be adequate incentives for some people.

If the $$$ is right, I'll be on a plane tomorrow. Amazing how all these private enterprises can find people to go out in the bush and do work for fair pay but the crown can't seem to get it done.

 

[QV]

If the $$$ is right, I'll be on a plane tomorrow. Amazing how all these private enterprises can find people to go out in the bush and do work for fair pay but the crown can't seem to get it done.

The crown wants you to work for as little pay as possible.

 

[Blackadder1916]

As I keep saying the HBC did the job the locals want done for better than 300 years.

Actually, the HBC did the job that the HBC wanted done locally even if it meant that the locals were sometimes exploited.

 

[Kirkhill]

Actually, the HBC did the job that the HBC wanted done locally even if it meant that the locals were sometimes exploited.

Of course they were exploited. Just like the Cree exploited the Dene and opposed the HBC setting up inland trading posts.

At least the HBC was only in the commercial exploitation game. They bought what was being sold. They sold what was being bought.

 

[MilEME09]

Harper with the zinger!

https://twitter.com/x/status/2018445212834484294

Always enjoy hearing Harper speak, also glad Carney has him as an advisor.

 

[YZT580]

The crown wants you to work for as little pay as possible.

Agree and disagree at the same time. The crown would dearly like to be able to award greater benefits to those it sends into remote locations. And they used to provide benefits to incentivize people to relocate. Unfortunately unions got in the way, demanding equal benefits for anyone with the same job title. As a for instance, Transport Canada personnel working at Toronto Airport used to be able to claim mileage for weekend work because public transit did not service the air side buildings. That died when clerks on the Terminal side complained that they were discriminated against because they didn't qualify even though they may have lived in the same area. Union grieved and one and all mileage claims were suspended. (1970 or thereabouts) Many organisations apart from government suffer from the same problems between union and management. So yes, the crown keeps the strings pulled tight on the purse but we do sometimes contribute to our own misfortunes.