Bob Rae is quitting federal politics, but in his new role he may exercise considerable influence upon the future of Northern Ontario. His resignation as MP has sparked a flood of superlatives.

Rae has been called the best prime minister Canada never had and the worst Ontario premier the province ever had. He remains untouched by personal scandal. A political celebrity with friendly contacts in many powerful places.

He is giving up a lot to become a negotiator for the First Nations in the Ring of Fire mining region. According to some reports, he will be negotiating on behalf of as many as nine First Nations.

Presumably, native peoples will want a share of the wealth generated by new mines and as many jobs as possible.

Usually, politicians are only influenced by votes or potential votes. Rae will be representing a miniscule percentage of the Ontario population, but he will have both moral authority and a large degree of public support.

The residential schools scandal and the deplorable conditions reported on many reserves have given Canadians a collective guilty conscience that will demand a square deal for the natives in the Ring of Fire.

Rae may be the negotiator, but if First Nations support him, he will become a lobbyist, an economic developer and a policy-maker.

Rae may look at Northern Ontario and try to do better. He may seek to create economic activity that will continue to provide jobs after the mines have gone. This is the unsolved problem that faces most mining communities.

Few mines last more than 25 years. Sudbury is a nearly unique exception. The gold boom has restored life to Kirkland Lake. Matachewan was almost a ghost town, but is now being restored by a gold mine. The end of the mighty Kidd Creek property at Timmins is foreseeable. The recent decline in gold prices is making many people nervous.

Most reports agree the mineral deposits are enormous in the Ring of Fire and will likely support half a dozen or more mines.

Suppose Rae and his followers decide they do not want another 25-year boom and bust? They might demand a couple of mines now and a couple more much later to provide jobs for their children.

It is possible that a very small group of natives in a remote area of Northwestern Ontario could set new policies that might avoid past mistakes and be a good example for the rest of the North.

--John R. Hunt