I say it is More to benefit the federal government than the provincial.

Province funds the road because roads are their main responsibility. They collect taxes later to recoup their expense.

Federal government also collects similar taxes but they have big expenses funding the natives and IF the road goes in and later railway, then they get to save big time because many goods and services will be less expensive to the natives and federals. Granted the savings will not all go to Feds, some of that will raise the natives's standard of living.

So delays by Feds is a bigger annoyance to me because they have less of an excuse for delay.