The fact is Canada does not make economic sense -- looking at economics only Canada would be far better folded into the North American market. If we want a nation, as opposed to a loose federation of local places, we need to have proper land links. Look at Alaska -- that State has proper highways.

Officials say if road is built, it must be for national, not economic, reasons

CBC News

A study obtained by CBC News shows the cost of a road from Manitoba to Nunavut would likely far outweigh its economic benefits.

However, Canada was built by rail, road and waterways, and people who are pushing for a land link between Nunavut and the South believe the country still has one major piece of nation-building left.

"Nunavut is joined to the rest of Canada by only the thinnest of threads," said Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak.

Aariak told a Toronto audience last year that Nunavut clings to confederation without a single ground link to the South.

For years, Nunavut and Manitoba have talked about an all-weather road connecting the two regions.

Eva Aariak, Nunavut's Premier, said the territory clings to Confederation by the thinnest of threads because it has no road link to the rest of the country. (CBC)

A recently released business case study shows a road from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, to Sundance, Man., would cost $1.2 billion. The study also shows the 1,100-kilometre road would generate less than half that amount in benefits.

"This is a tough sell, it's a tough sell on the economics, and it's a tough sell just because of the magnitude of it," said Shawn Maley, a spokesperson for the Nunavut government.