Tomorrow's Northern Opportunities Depend on Education Today

EDMONTON, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Education emerged as an issue of vital importance to the future of the North at Canada's North Beyond 2011 conference, organized by The Conference Board of Canada. Held Wednesday October 12 and Thursday, Oct.13, and hosted by the Conference Board's Centre for the North, the forum attracted more than 300 leaders from across Canada for a wide-ranging discussion on key issues facing the North.

Former Prime Minister of Canada, Paul Martin, said that the education of Aboriginal youth is more than an economic issue - it is the single most important moral issue that Canada faces as a country.

"If you don't learn to read when you are six, or seven or eight, you will never catch up, no matter how many catch-up courses are out there. So don't tell me you can't afford to fund education. Economically, this is as dumb as a bag of hammers," said Mr. Martin, who is the Founder and Chairman of the Martin Aboriginal Initiative.

Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, noted that three-quarters of Inuit do not have a high school diploma. She told the conference about the National Strategy for Inuit Education, a plan that Mr. Martin endorsed in his remarks.

"I believe we must now turn our attention to educating our way to prosperity and healthier communities. It simply cannot be done just through training. We need to fix our education system," said Ms. Simon.

Thursday's opening panel of international experts challenged some of the conventional thinking about Canada's role in the North.

Denmark's Ambassador to Canada, Erik Vilstrup Lorenzen, told the conference that Denmark does not see a security threat in the north and its Arctic strategy stresses that its policies have to benefit the people that live in the region.

"That means you will see less about security but more about environment and other issues because that is where we see the important things that need to be done," he said.

Thomas Axworthy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation, discussed how Northerners perceive issues of security and sovereignty differently than Canadians in the South.

"The military lens in security, that our government has promoted, is by and large not supported in the North. The diplomatic challenges for Canada are intense on issues like the Northwest Passage. Since that requires a diplomatic solution, this country needs a full court diplomatic press around the circumpolar world and the world to make our points known on the Northwest Passage. And there is no evidence that this is happening," said Mr. Axworthy.

University of British Columbia Professor Michael Byers said that Canada has yet to think about the potential of the north.

"I sometimes say to federal bureaucrats 'if you are worried about nickel and diming the North, then put Canada's Arctic on eBay and see how many trillions of dollars countries would be willing to pay for the  opportunities that Canada has in the Arctic," said Prof. Byers.

On Wednesday, Elyse Allan, President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Canada, told the capacity crowd spending in the North should be seen as a strategic investment for Canada as a whole.

"Canada's remote communities can pack a powerful economic punch. There is great optimism. Business investment combined with progressive public policy will unleash significant opportunities for remote communities and for Canada as a nation," she said.

The Conference Board of Canada http://www.conferenceboard.ca/

Centre for the North http://www.centreforthenorth.ca/

Balancing Act - http://www.centreforthenorth.ca/blogs/latestnews/balancing-act-major-resource-projects-in-the-north

SOURCE CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA

Video with caption: "Video: Canada’s North Beyond 2011". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20111017_C4418_VIDEO_EN_4692.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20111017_C4418_PHOTO_EN_4692.jpg&clientName=CONFERENCE%20BOARD%20OF%20CANADA&caption=Video%3A%20Canada%26%23146%3Bs%20North%20Beyond%202011&title=CONFERENCE%20BOARD%20OF%20CANADA%20%2D%20Canada%26%23146%3Bs%20North%20Beyond%202011

Image with caption: "The Rt. Hon, Paul Martin, Founder and Chairman, Martin Aboriginal Initiative and former Prime Minister of Canada discussed the crucial importance of education and training for Aboriginal youth at Canada's North Beyond 2011 on October 13, 2011 in Edmonton. Hosted by The Conference Board of Canada's Centre for the North, the event brought together 300 leaders to discuss key issues related to Canada's north, including economic development, governance, infrastructure and community security. (CNW Group/CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20111017_C4418_PHOTO_EN_4693.jpg

Image with caption: "The Rt. Hon, Paul Martin, Founder and Chairman, Martin Aboriginal Initiative, gets a reaction from David Stewart-Patterson, Vice-President, Public Policy, The Conference and Mary Simon, President Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, during his speech at the Canada's North Beyond 2011 conference in Edmonton on Thursday, October 13. The two-day conference brought together hundreds of leaders to discuss issues of importance to Canada's North. (CNW Group/CONFERENCE BOARD OF CANADA)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20111017_C4418_PHOTO_EN_4694.jpg