Donald Trump is pushing Canada to meet its agreed to NATO defence spending targets. Trump's imminent presidency will give him the tools to squeeze us, and hard, on this and many other things.

As the clock ticks, our federal government is in turmoil as it tries to respond and react to these and other fast-breaking internal and external political events, including its own survival. 

The stress is enormous, what are their plans for the North, our home? They know they have to do something, but are not sure what to do, or how.

ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 why it is good to see the Northern premiers in Ottawa lobbying the feds for infrastructure investment in the North, especially in light of CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 recent foreign policy announcement to beef up presence here. 

As we Northerners know,  being present here has become more challenging by the year as the warming Arctic melts, leaving the NWT vulnerable both externally and internally. 

Externally, Canada relied on Mother Nature to defend our Arctic borders with extreme ice and cold. This can no longer be done. Yet, in todaySA国际影视传媒檚 war-torn, turbulent world, norms have changed, conflicts abound. Asserting Canadian sovereignty in the North is critical, and words alone are not enough. It is all about power and control. A strong, robust physical presence is required throughout the North to demonstrate sovereignty.

Internally, the NWT faces persistent low water, preventing barging resupply of communities in the summer while in the winter, warming temperatures are delaying ice roads and winter resupply. Costs are unsustainable and climbing as the economies in the regions and communities have only become more challenging.

What do we do next? We must present Canada with a plan. For decades, we have pushed Canada for the building of the Mackenzie Valley Highway as a project of national significance, connecting the NWT from the 60th parallel to the Arctic ocean. This has the additional benefit of connecting all the communities up the valley, which builds our resilience and gives us economic opportunities. We do not stand before Canada with our hands out; we present it as a partnership opportunity involving the NWT governments and Canada.

We have a long history with roads in the North dating back to DiefenbakerSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渞oads to resources,SA国际影视传媒� which began with the Dempster Highway. Construction started in Yukon and ended in the Western Arctic community of Inuvik. Now neglected, it's becoming more of a trail than a highway. This could change.

Millions of dollars over the years have been spent getting ready for the future. We have an approved route. We recognized the global interest in the North and have run the Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link down that route, giving the North critical, cutting-edge fibre optic technology essential for the development of an Arctic hub. The international community recognized the Inuvik region as an essential area for data communication.
 
In 2017, the Inuvik/Tuk highway, a joint NWT, Canada initiative and the northernmost section of the Mackenzie Highway, was finally realized.

The Mackenzie Valley Highway is a critical piece of initial infrastructure necessary to enable both Canada and the NWT to meet their shared priorities in relation to Arctic sovereignty. Both parties will need to come to the table with the resources to get the highway built on a tight timeline. However, the NWT needs to adjust its capital plan.

Such adjustments have been made in the past for other territory building projects such the construction of the bridge across the Mackenzie River and the new hospital in Yellowknife. Much less critical costly projects, like the ill-conceived Taltson expansion or the big college campus development in Yellowknife, could be shelved to free up the hundreds of millions of dollars needed for our share of the Mackenzie Valley Highway.

The NWT has to take the initiative on this, making it as easy as possible for Ottawa by putting a clearly-articulated proposal, supported by the Northern Leaders Council, on the table of the prime minister. What's needed is a practical, working proposal detailing the partnership, how it will be done, with timelines, and how it will be jointly resourced. Our proposal must speak to CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 Northern sovereignty and why the Mackenzie Valley Highway is a critical step towards that goal. 

This is a political winner for everyone, up and down the valley and in Ottawa. It will be a huge morale boost to all Northerners, a major boost to the economy, both short term during construction and longer term as we seize this opportunity and contain and lower our out-of-control costs of living, energy and doing business.

This is collaborative governance at work, creating the conditions to get things done. The critical first ingredient is political will. Start talking to your elected leaders today, wherever you are. Together, we can make it so.