A Grit-Tory coalition? Only in Gorffwysfa.

• Author: Robinson, Dave
• Position: ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING - Gorffwysfa

The path to Gorffwysfa may lie through Ontario, but it doesn't run though Northern Ontario. And that's why talking about elections has been a waste of time for this region.

Gorffwysfa? You have never heard of Gorffwysfa? Gorffwysfa was built in 1866 by mill owner Joseph Merrill Currier. He gave it to his third wife, Hannah, as a wedding present. It was probably a bribe to get her to move to Ottawa so he could take up his duties as a Member of Parliament.

Gorffwysfa is a Welsh word meaning place of peace. In 1951, it became the official residence of Canada's Prime Minister. Gorffwysfa is usually referred to colourfully as "24 Sussex Drive." We copy the British, who keep their PM in romantic "10 Downing Street."

The story of Gorffwysfa shows how easy it is to distract Northerners with superficial stories about goings-on in Ottawa. With all the excitement about elections, Northerners are in danger of losing track of what matters for the North. We forget to keep our eye on the ball.

What ball? Ah yes, that's the problem. There is no ball from our point of view. The game we want to play is about economic development for Northern Ontario. The game in Parliament is about almost everything but what Northern Ontario needs.

A political rule of seven is at work: if you have seven percent of the provincial population, and if the province adds seven times your current population between censuses, then no national party will pay you much attention. That's why economic development for Northern Ontario doesn't appear in the platforms of any national party. Nunavut and Prince Edward Island are much more important nationally.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

It is true that all the parties have pieces that could help the North. In fact, if the Liberals and Conservatives would just live up to the promises they have in common, Northern Ontario would prosper.

Both major parties promised to invest in research and development. The Conservatives emphasize health care, fisheries and scientific research. We know that if we measure size by area, forestry and mining are still the economic backbone of most of Canada. Both industries contribute disproportionately to our export earnings.

A Conservative-Liberal coalition would be able to double the research funding for forestry and mining as quickly as they agreed to the recent Veterans' bill. And they should do it before they come looking for votes in Northern Ontario.

Both parties...