Russell Pleased With Motion on Northern Infrastructure

OTTAWA, April 28, 2009 — Labrador MP Todd Russell is pleased with the reception received in the House of Commons on Monday for his private member’s motion concerning infrastructure in northern regions of Canada, including Labrador.

“The speeches made in reply to my motion by other parties, as well as the support and interest I received from my Liberal colleagues, tell me that I have raised the profile of northern development issues at the federal level,” Russell said.

The Labrador MP’s motion, M-298, calls on the federal government to work with the territories and the provinces which make up the “provincial north”, as well as local and Aboriginal governments, to come up with a common strategy for infrastructure in northern regions of Canada.

Following House of Commons rules, the motion had its first hour of debate, and will have return to the Commons floor in June.

“Northern regions such as Labrador, other parts of the provincial north, and the three Arctic territories, have special infrastructure needs,” Russell said. “It is vitally important that infrastructure programs take the unique circumstances of the north into account, and equally important that all levels of government co-ordinate their efforts, especially right now when infrastructure is being tied to economic stimulus.”

Russell will use the weeks before the motion comes back to the House of Commons to secure support from MPs across the country.

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Todd Russell, MP

Labrador