The Plan Nord: Current geopolitical issues in the light of past “Plans Nord”
In May 2011, the Premier of Quebec officially launched the Plan Nord. This development and enhancement project for northern Quebec has two complementary objectives: optimize the exploitation of natural resources for economic and commercial purposes and build a new social space in the north of the province by expanding the frontiers of the ecumene. The idea is not new insofar as the North has frequently been a key concern among Quebec leaders. Yet, past projects to develop Quebec’s northern region, all of them eager to tap into the abundant untouched resources of this territory, did not lead to the anticipated results. Among the challenges facing these projects were, in particular, fluctuations in the global commodities markets. Plan Nord, for its part, which is presented as a sustainable development project, is unique in that it aims to harmonize large-scale mining operations with the goal of biodiversity protection in partnership with Indigenous peoples. Thus, this project is based on a set of technical, administrative, financial, legislative and regulatory measures whose half-avowed aim is to legitimize its realization and above all to bolster the attractiveness and competitiveness of Northern Quebec on the world stage in the eyes of investors from the mining industry.