Justin Trudeau & Caroline Cochrane

After saying last week she was angry Northerners don’t receive the same services from the federal government as people in the rest of Canada, Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane says the prime minister made “specific commitments” to address the issue this weekend when they met to discuss firefighting efforts. Cochrane thanked him for the federal support the territory has received. … She said Trudeau made several commitments, which included speeding up the Employment Insurance process for N.W.T. residents and providing an advance under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to aid with cash flow. He also committed to collaborating with the territory on plans for possible air evacuations of communities without road access, Cochrane said, as well as to prioritize the development of road infrastructure, enhancing satellite redundancy and assisting the N.W.T in addressing the impacts of climate change.