Premier Ranj Pillai got to play the genial host to his fellow western premiers over the past weekend and Monday as part of the annual Western Premiers Conference.
The premiers from Manitoba, Nunavut and all points to the north and west converged on Whitehorse for three days of discussions of such big-picture issues as Arctic security and energy sources.
After a formal end-of-conference rally with the other premiers, Pillai spent some time telling local reporters what he had taken in from the meeting.
“It’s really important to have bigger jurisdictions at the table supporting the needs of the three territories. When we go to Ottawa, we have three MPs, and we have senators who are there,” he said.
“They’re all representing the Yukon. But when we see the support for what’s happening in the North by these (western premiers) we know they (the federal government) will not give us enough to do what we need to do here. So we need that support, and it’s really important to be here at the table and build strong relationships,” the premier said.
“There’s a lot of things Yukoners should be interested in that’s happened over the last two days.”
Pillai then provided a bit of an itemized list of topics that were discussed.
“Public safety was one of the issues that was top of mind,” he said. “We know the challenges we’ve had here when it comes to public safety. That’s kind of a byproduct of what’s happened with the challenges around the opioid crisis and other things.
“We’ve had a lot of things happening in the downtown core and we’ve heard from Whitehorse businesses about the challenges with vandalism and crime.”
Pillai said he had heard about some interesting things other premiers, notably in Manitoba and British Columbia, have been doing to address similar issues.
“That’s something that really struck a chord with me,” Pillai said. “There’s a lot of work being done by everybody.”
Having the proper infrastructure and social structures in place is a common theme amongst all of the western jurisdictions, he added.
“We also talked about best practices around affordability,” the premier continued.
“Almost every jurisdiction has projects that are a priority. We’re looking at having a transmission corridor that will run down into B.C.,” Pillai noted.
“We believe that having an agreement, a memorandum of understanding, is important which we can then use to highlight at a national level, to say these are the projects we need.”
“We know there is an election around the corner,” Pillai said. “We want to ensure that (whoever is in power) that they start committing to investing in the North and the West in an appropriate manner. We haven’t seen the ambition we need in this country. This country really needs to be ambitious.”
According to the formal communiqué that followed the meetings, the premiers expressed “significant concern with the impacts of inflation and high interest rates, increasing food prices, and the cost and availability of housing.
“They discussed actions being taken in their jurisdictions to address affordability challenges, including providing supports to the most vulnerable residents. Premiers discussed the federal government’s commitment to fund provincial and territorial school food programs,” the statement added.
“Premiers agreed that meaningful engagement and consultation from the federal government is necessary to ensure that this funding aligns with provincial and territorial programs and priorities to help students reach their learning potential.”
The premiers discussed concerns about programs that were established and/or enhanced through federal funding but which lack long-term funding commitments to support provincial and territorial priorities and address affordability challenges.
“Federal funding for childcare that is scheduled to end in 2025/26 risks significant disruption to parents, providers, and employers across western Canada, and premiers call on the federal government to work with them on the timely renewal of this partnership and ensure long-term, adequate, and flexible support.”
In their communiqué, the premiers expressed disappointment that the 2024 federal budget did not include a successor to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. They reiterated the need for flexible, predictable, and long-term federal infrastructure funding.
“Indigenous engagement and participation is fundamental to advance strategic infrastructure projects in western Canada as well as to unlock economic opportunities across a wide range of sectors,” the statement added.
“Provincial and territorial governments can support reconciliation by maximizing the benefits of these investments for Indigenous communities.”
Energy was also on the leaders’ agenda.
“More must be done to harness western Canada’s energy resources, including oil and gas, liquefied natural gas, uranium, and hydroelectricity, as well as in emerging opportunities such as hydrogen, bio-fuels, small modular nuclear reactors, and critical minerals.
“As provinces and territories look to build electrification and energy infrastructure to connect communities, power industry, and bring energy products to market, substantial new federal investments and improved co-operation are needed. It also requires constructive work between federal, provincial, and territorial governments to strengthen the investment conditions for these vital projects.”
Arctic security was touched on as well.
“The path to a stronger Canadian Arctic requires investment in critical transportation, energy, and telecommunications infrastructure that supports healthy, vibrant communities and economic growth,” the premiers said.
“Such investments will also unlock the potential of critical minerals needed by Canada and its allies while safeguarding the region’s long-term security. New defence investments and working towards meeting the NATO target of defence spending equal to two per cent of GDP are an opportunity to strengthen the military presence in the North, support multi-use infrastructure, support western industries, and protect Canadian sovereignty across the Arctic and northern regions.”
