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Northwest Territories premier to visit prime minister, governor general in Ottawa this week

Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane is travelling to Ontario to visit the prime minister this week.
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Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane is set to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General Mary Simon and others in Ottawa this week. NNSL file photo

Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane is travelling to Ontario to visit the prime minister this week.

Cochrane will also be meeting with federal cabinet ministers including Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, Patty Hadju, minister of Indigenous Services and Marc Miller, minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.

Governor General Mary Simon, NWT Senator Dawn Anderson and NWT MP Michael McLeod are also on the premier’s schedule.

“We want to advance priorities that Indigenous leadership, community governments, and residents have identified as important to the future success of our territory,” Cochrane said in a news release. “Supporting people to have comparable quality of life and benefits wherever they live is a fundamental Canadian value – and an important part of reconciliation. I appreciate the federal government’s acknowledgement that gaps exist in the North, and their efforts to address them.”

Premier Cochrane will be discussing economic and social challenges that impact the territory, such as infrastructure, roads, broadband, cleaner sources of energy, and affordable housing.

These priorities are consistent with the goals of the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF) that was developed in collaboration with Canada, according to the release: “The Government of the Northwest Territories will continue to work with the Government of Canada, Indigenous governments and other partners to realize the Framework’s objectives in ways that meet the NWT’s needs, particularly as we emerge from Covid-19.”