The federal election race continued to heat up Wednesday as Erin O’Toole announced a Conservative government would commit to funding priority infrastructure projects for Canada’s North.

For the Yukon, that means a “large-scale clean power project for Yukon,” the Conservative Party leader said.

“Canada’s Conservatives will work with Yukon to explore large-scale cleaner power options. This will help communities relying on diesel transition to reliable lower emission sources,” O’Toole said.

“For too long, the Trudeau government has ignored northern priorities and made unilateral decisions impacting northerners from Ottawa without giving them a say,” he added.

“Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, a Conservative government will empower and support northerners, while building the infrastructure needed to truly realize the potential of Canada’s North.”

Barbara Dunlop, the Conservative candidate for the Yukon, said the platform deliberately doesn’t identify a specific project.

“The intent is to work in partnership with the Yukon government and First Nations to identify a realistic, large-scale clean energy project that has the support to get built,” she said.

“The intent is to rely on local partnerships to identify a viable project, with federal support for development and construction.”

Through Canada’s Recovery Plan, O’Toole said, a Conservative government elected Sept. 20 would immediately prioritize funding toward advancing:

• The Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link – an Inuit-led transmission line project extending from Manitoba into the Kivalliq region of Nunavut, the project will deliver reliable renewable energy and broadband Internet service to Nunavummiut.

• Grays Bay Road and Port  – This project would serve as the first road connecting Nunavut to the rest of Canada. Once completed, it would connect the rich mineral resources from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories to arctic shipping routes. 

• Tuktoyaktuk Road and Port – With the road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk being recently completed, attention can now turn to converting the town's current harbour into a deep water port for the Northwest Territories, the party said. Having a deep water port in Tuktoyaktuk would allow the community to benefit from natural resource exploration, extraction, and tourism.