Common menu bar links
Partnering to upgrade Yukon's Mayo B hydro facility
21 August 2009
Whitehorse, Yukon
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYGood afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you Senator Lang for that kind introduction. Greetings to Premier Fentie, to Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Chuck Strahl, to Mayor Buckway. Special greetings as well to the aboriginal leaders joining us this afternoon.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you know, this the fourth August in a row since becoming Prime Minister that I’ve travelled to the North. It’s because I want to send a strong signal to the rest of the country of the growing influence of our northern frontier. With immense deposits of valuable natural resources and a talented, energetic, youthful population, the North’s importance – especially now, in the midst of the worst global economic crisis since the Second World War – has never been greater.
We want to unleash the region’s full potential by implementing the most ambitious Northern Agenda in Canadian history. It is a four-point plan: to assert and defend Canada's sovereignty, to protect the unique and fragile Arctic ecosystem, to develop a strong Northern economy and development and to encourage good governance and greater local control and opportunity.
Premier Fentie and I have just returned from touring the site of a massive project that embodies our Government’s cooperative, ambitious approach to economic development and environmental stewardship in the North. In partnership with the Government of Yukon – represented by the funding agreement the Premier and I are about to sign – we are constructing a new powerhouse at the Mayo hydro-electric generating station, and extending a transmission line to connect Yukon’s two electrical grids.
Ground clearing and engineering work is already underway, and at its height, this project will create hundreds of jobs. Upon completion, Mayo B will double power output without the need for new dams, reservoirs or flooding. Yukon’s dependence on diesel power will be reduced by 40 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by half. In short, the Mayo B project is all about creating well-paying jobs, protecting the northern environment and ensuring a more reliable supply of power for families and businesses in the North.
The project is part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan to sustain and stimulate economic activity during the global recession. Under our Plan, work is underway on more than three thousand infrastructure projects this summer. From sea, to sea, to sea, our Action Plan is working and is creating jobs.
I’d like to thank Premier Fentie for the role he played in having the vision for this project identifying it as a priority and making this announcement a reality. The project is a testament to what can be achieved when Governments work together.
While the challenges Canada faces be great, ladies and gentlemen, greater yet is our resolve to surmount them. With characteristically Canadian determination and ingenuity, we are facing the present global recession without losing sight of the road ahead. Projects like Mayo B here in Yukon Territory not only stimulate economic activity and boost employment where it is needed today, they also provide communities with the infrastructure needed to prosper in the future. And here in Whitehorse indeed across the expanse of our north, it is the future upon which we are focused. By increasing opportunities we are also strengthening our sovereignty and in doing so, we are living up to our commitment to preserve and protect our Arctic, to ensure that this rugged and beautiful place will be a strong and vibrant part of our country for generations to come.
Thank you.
