Nancy Vail: The real threat to the North is right here, right now

With around 500 evacuees in Yellowknife fleeing fires in Fort Simpson, three perished firefighters, Peel River flooding preventing people and supplies heading to and from Inuvik, heat warnings and drought all over the territory, Prime Minister Mark Carney is busy announcing new investments in submarines, pipelines, ports and all-weather roads.

Nancy Vail: The real threat to the North is right here, right now Published 5:08 am Sunday, July 12, 2026 With around 500 evacuees in Yellowknife fleeing fires in Fort Simpson, three perished firefighters, Peel River flooding preventing people and supplies heading to and from Inuvik, heat warnings and drought all over the territory, Prime Minister Mark Carney is busy announcing new investments in submarines, pipelines, ports and all-weather roads. His only comment about the climate change catastrophe the North is facing is that climate change goals set by the previous government were “unsustainable.”

So he sets none except for paying lip service, which he quickly forgets and instead fast-tracks projects and development which could result in even more permafrost melt, the extinction of some caribou herds and even threatens to expedite the approval process, thus overriding environmental regulations set in place. He is totally ignoring the effects of melting permafrost, which will cause havoc to new and existing infrastructure here which no government — territorial or federal — can afford to repair. Carney has shown no interest in environmental protection when we all know with fires raging throughout the North and B.C. is the real war we should be dealing with, but this prime minister acts as though they are not on his radar.

At least he doesn’t hide his ambivalence. Carney may have been born here, but he has no Northern blood or spirit in him. He blows past our environmental concerns, insulting First Nations people who depend on traditional food and practices to survive and heads overseas to the NATO summit in Turkey, proud of his military buildup and the many billions he is spending to heighten Canada’s international presence all the while not saying anything about the conditions here at home.

He is an embarrassment. The military threat is perceived, but the threat to the climate and the environment is real and the consequences of ignoring it is visible and happening in real time. The military cannot deal with the circumstances our firefighters are forced to deal with everyday constantly putting their lives at risk and in the face of a federal government who ignores our reality.

Instead, Carney has the nerve to announce and support more pipelines at a time when we know that getting off fossil fuels is crucial if this earth is going to survive. You pay now or later, but we will have to pay for the damage caused by our failure to take climate change seriously. This lip service from the Liberal government is arrogant and destructive.

The North is dying under the weight of climate change, which is three to four times greater than that experienced anywhere else in the world. Carney hasn’t said a word — not one — about the tragedies affecting the North except to say that earlier climate change goals were not sustainable. How irresponsible.

It’s frightening how out of touch with reality this government is and its failure to address the real concerns of the day. It’s as though the Liberal government is living in some alternate reality, one which threatens the lives of Canadians today and those of generations to come. We are leaving nothing for our children or grandchildren.

Carney so often brags about his Northern roots but shows no real concern or even awareness of the realities we face except to announce a greater military presence when fires are threatening the people and habitat of the North. Carney may have boasted about his submarine purchases in Turkey and about his military buildup in the North and his new pipelines — he’s lucky. He gets to escape the smoke which we have to live with every day.

Mr. Prime Minister, you need to do something before there is nothing left to protect. —Nancy Vail is a longtime Yellowknifer with an interest in social justice.