We are not a northern nation, and we need to stop lying to ourselves that we are.Actually, it isn't only old, worn out tracks. It's also that the northern half of the tracks are laid over permafrost which creates strange trackage conditions. It is a fun train, but no fast trip for sure. You go from forest in southern Manitoba to taiga and eventually tundra before reaching Churchill on Hudson's Bay.
We tell the world the North is ours, that we are protecting our sovereignty and our vast mineral wealth. But the truth is we aren’t, and those resources are so far from the nearest railhead they may as well be on the moon.
How many Canadians actually live up north? Approximately 118,000. That’s one-third of one per cent of the national population.
A study commissioned by the Churchill Northern Studies Centre in 2011 found that only 14 per cent of Canadians had travelled to Canada’s North even once.
There is only one train to the North, traveling on tracks so old and so worn out, it can only manage an average speed of 28 km/h on its way to Churchill.
Much more critical, the Canadian Coast Guard is not equipped to operate in the Arctic winter. The Canadian Navy has no Arctic-capable ships whatsoever. That leaves the Canadian Rangers.
The indigenous Canadian Rangers understand the terrain and conditions, and they "show the flag" in the deep north. Their near-antique Lee-Enfield rifles are no match for modern weaponry.
Basically they're reservists who draw modest pay to take hunting trips a few times a year, in a "uniform" consisting of red sweatshirt and ball cap. Their value is largely symbolic, although they provide some on-site reconnaissance.
