The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Partnerships with First Nations and added support for small business are ways to a more diversified economy in Flin Flon. That was the conclusion of Churchill MP Niki Ashton in addressing the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce last week. 'Diversity, obviously, in the North means it's very fundamental partnering with people around us and working to support development in the North, including in aboriginal communities,' she said. '(This) is really important for the kinds of gains that a community like Flin Flon can make, currently acting as a service hub but also being able to work to meet the needs of some of the communities that truly are set back in our own region.' Addressing 15 people at the Friendship Centre Restaurant on Jan. 22, Ashton applauded local small businesses for their role in broadening the economy. See ' Region...' pg. 7 Continued from pg. 1 Ashton said the cuts hit hardest the agency that serves Manitoba and the other western provinces _ Western Economic Diversification. The MP further chided the Tories for cuts to federal economic-diversification agencies. Another change that will hurt the northern Manitoba economy, Ashton said, is the Harper government's 'weakening' of the Employment Insurance and Old-Age Security programs. She said restricting access to these programs makes it more difficult for small businesses to provide for their employees and thus look at expanding their businesses. And Ottawa's ending the single-desk marketing system for western grain farmers, Ashton said, will have a domino effect across the North as the rail line used to move grain to Churchill loses business. 'Real strides' On the plus side, Ashton felt that Flin Flon 'has always taken real strides toward diversification,' saying it has 'thrived' throughout the inevitable ups and downs of a mining community. Of course resource development will continue to be the backbone of much of the northern economy. In that regard, Ashton said it will be crucial to ensure communities in the area of the developments _ First Nations and non-First Nations alike _ reap the rewards. 'I think many of us in the North recognize that we all benefit when we're all better off,' she said, 'and certainly making sure that as we go forward that resource development benefits northerners...needs to be a primary focus. And obviously for First Nations people there's a key and historic component when it comes to this, absolutely, and in a legal way as well.' Speaking from a podium and wearing her trademark black-rimmed glasses, Ashton covered a range of topics in prepared remarks and in answering questions from the floor. A reoccurring theme was her sense that Flin Flon has not received a fair shake from the Conservatives. 'We need a strong federal government that understands that the North, and particularly a community like Flin Flon, has given so much wealth to the rest of Canada,' said Ashton. '(So) the federal government ought to be at the table to make sure...that this wealth comes back to Flin Flon, to the people of Flin Flon.' At one point the MP applauded the Harper government's Economic Action Plan _ which her NDP voted against _ for its 'welcome investments' in infrastructure projects. But she said that despite the government's ongoing advertising campaign to tout the plan, 'those kinds of investments have largely dried up.' What's worse, Ashton said, the Tories' public service cuts have impacted the Prairie provinces more than any other region besides Ottawa itself. 'Obviously here in the North it's been a long time since we've had a series of federal government departments in our communities,' she said. 'So we saw the jobs losses before a lot of people, years ago, but the reality is, as we lose more federal jobs, it also means losing services for our region and our provinces.' Ashton said cuts to Service Canada have led to longer waits for Canadians dealing with issues related to Employment Insurance and public pensions. In terms of Idle No More, she said the aboriginal-based protest movement is a reflection of how many Canadians feel. 'What I think is very interesting with Idle No More is the way...it has captured the imagination, particularly of young people,' Ashton said. 'And one of my experiences as the MP for Churchill is meeting so many young people _ aboriginal and non-aboriginal _ that feel disengaged with the system, that feel that their issues aren't being heard, that they're not being listened to.' Educational opportunities, better health care and roads connecting to outside communities are crucial to improving life on First Nations, Ashton told the chamber. One of the more unexpected questions had Ashton, her party's Status of Women critic, identify challenges facing women in her riding. Percentage shrinks She regrettably said the percentage of women employed in Manitoba's resource-based economy is, to some extent, shrinking as more resource jobs open up. Ashton said this illustrates the need for more job training both in resource industries and in the area of entrepreneurship. 'I know the history of Flin Flon is one in which women have played a key role when it comes to small business,' she said, 'and that is more important than ever when we're seeing that the growth of our major economic engine, resource extraction and development, isn't engaging a lot of women.'
