Northern Directions:
A Policy Vision for Justice in the North - A Justice Canada Discussion Paper

March 2006

Conclusion

A vision is at once beautiful and challenging – challenging because whatever form of the ideal it contemplates, it must be plausible so as to engage the heart. Because the problems we face are staggering, it is tempting to dismiss the vision as an ideal beyond reach. It is equally enticing for governments to offer the traditional excuses of limits to jurisdiction, mandate, budget, responsibility and the limits of our traditional tools. We are all familiar with the myth that the Inuit are said to have one hundred words for “snow”; the federal government has as many expressions which are heard by Aboriginal people as “no”. Yet, a vision will have no power over us if it does not identify the situation we desire to move beyond, as well as that state of the world we want to move toward. Our vision must lie closer to achievement with each hour of fresh effort and with every dollar spent.

What is necessary? Our vision is about more than resources. We must be clear, creative, strategic and relevant. We must balance resolve with healthy realism about the tasks that lie before us. We cannot afford to be discouraged from the attempt to solve these challenges. We must proceed incrementally, and continually evaluate whether we are making a difference. But we will not turn aside; we will keep moving forward. Securing our vision is the first step.

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