Here's what each major party is promising for the North

With the Canadian election around the corner, all four major parties have released the price tag for their election promises. 

They include a variety of commitments around defence, infrastructure and food security. Each party has made commitments on housing, health care, climate change and reconciliation that will impact northerners and all Canadians.

Each also has some promises specific to the North.

Green Party

The Green platform's first mention of the North is a commitment to support northern and remote communities in transitioning off diesel. It says expanding access to community-owned renewable micro grids is one way the party will do that. 

It says the Greens will support northern food security by scrapping the Nutrition North subsidy, which it calls "ineffective", and instead re-establishing the Canada Post Food Mail program that saw subsidies for air shipping of perishable food to remote communities. It also says it will support food security in northern Indigenous communities through investment in "Arctic agriculture, community greenhouses, traditional harvesting and nutrition education programs". 

The Greens also commit to supporting communities in the management of natural disasters, promising a national fund to support community disaster planning and prevention, and to implement a standardized federal evacuation guideline to ensure co-ordination across all levels of government.  

NDP

The NDP has made low food costs a key part of its campaign, with a promise to cap prices on certain grocery items and to ensure the Nutrition North subsidy goes to consumers and not corporations. 

The NDP also says it will address the infrastructure deficit in Northern communities with a new Northern infrastructure fund. The platform commits $1.5 billion yearly to the fund. 

The party says it also supports community-driven healing initiatives aimed at addressing the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental harm inflicted upon communities and children inside the residential school system, and would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate crimes at residential schools.

Liberal

When it comes to the North, the Liberal campaign focuses largely on Arctic defence. It puts an emphasis on projects that defend while helping Northerners — meaning new airstrips for fighter jets, which would also allow cargo planes to land with food and supplies in northern communities, and new deepwater ports supporting patrols in Northern waters, which would also build new trade routes. 

The platform boasts $500 million a year to "build the Arctic", $60 million a year for food security in the North and $13.7 million in investments in "Canada's sovereignty in the North" for two years with that fund increasing to $35.5 million in the latter two years. In March, Liberal leader Mark Carney travelled to Iqaluit to announce a series of Arctic investments including an early warning detection system in partnership with Australia, housing repairs and new homes and upgrades to power plants in three Nunavut communities.

The Liberals also say they will add 50 new Arctic Indigenous Guardians to support environmental monitoring. 

Conservatives

The Conservative Party also puts a point on Arctic defence, promising to build a military base in Iqaluit, a new army reserve in Whitehorse and upgrade the forward operating location in Inuvik to a full base. The Conservatives also commit to building an "Arctic security corridor" between Yellowknife and Grays Bay, Nunavut, to accompany an upgrade to the Grays Bay port.   

The party platform sets aside $2 billion to rebuild Canada's military and defend the North for the 2025/26 fiscal, with that fund increasing each year to $3.5 billion, $5 billion and then $6.5 billion. 

The Conservatives also offer a plan for economic reconciliation by expanding development and offering Indigenous ownership opportunities in resource projects. 

The party also says it would create an outdoor heritage fund to support hunting, fishing and conservation efforts. The Conservatives cost that fund at $65 million in its first year and $130 million in the following three years.