Northwest Passage: status quo persists
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in early May 2019 that Canada’s claims to the Northwest Passage were illegitimate. While perhaps less than tactfully expressed, this is the U.S.’s official view of the Northwest Passage. Canada’s perspective is different of course, but the impasse of perspectives is long-standing. There are still no conditions or […]
Inuit Nunangat policy space would be a sign of genuine reconciliation
All perspective is relative, including what is North. “The North” means different things to different people in different contexts; Thunder Bay, Churchill and Grise Fjord are all “northern” from various policy perspectives, but have very different and distinct needs. “The North” as a policy space within the Canadian context is a notional concept without a […]
Building a new Arctic strategy for Canada
In April, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development issued a comprehensive report on the Arctic. The report is timely because of the rising ambitions of other nations in the Arctic, the impacts of climate change, and increasing commercial activity in Arctic waters. Ensuring security in the region will mean pursuing a strategy […]
Credibility and integrity of the prime minister in question with veterans’ community
Given recent tumultuous events with respect to the resignation of two prominent federal cabinet ministers surrounding the conduct of the government in relation to the SNC-Lavalin matter and the significant political concerns emanating from the Vice-Admiral Mark Norman debacle, it is readily apparent that the integrity and credibility of the prime minister and his government […]
Fight over Ottawa River nuclear waste dump getting political, but Liberals downriver standing behind the project—or staying quiet
A proposed dump for low-level nuclear waste near the Ottawa River has stirred up opposition from community groups, environmentalists, and municipalities worried the waste could leach into the river that flows past about 50 federal ridings, including Ottawa Centre, the home of Parliament Hill and Canada’s environment minister, Catherine McKenna. Members of Parliament from riverside […]
Despite U.S. reluctance, MPs hope Arctic Council forges ahead on climate change
In the face of the U.S.’s unwillingness to support the Arctic Council’s declaration on climate change-related challenges in the region, MPs are hoping to keep the Council focused on environmental issues. Liberal MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood, Ont.) said the U.S. position “is consistent with a head-in-the-sand attitude toward climate change.” Regardless of the U.S. stance, […]
Liberal action absent North of the 60th
There were two problems with Justin Trudeau’s recent apology to the Inuit for the federal government’s treatment of tuberculosis patients. Firstly, it left the Dene and others who suffered under similar policies feeling forgotten again. An apology should do no further harm. Secondly, like so much this government does, the apology was a symbolic gesture […]
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Bennett says government ‘respects’ MMIWG conclusion of genocide
Days after the report into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says the government respects the inquiry’s report, which said that a genocide was being committed against Indigenous women and girls in Canada. The debate over whether to call the policies and actions outlined […]
The people of the North are a proud people
The people of the North are proud people. They have survived thousands of years and many generations on pure strength and determination. Northerners carry a superior knowledge of the lands, waters, and environment in which they have lived for millennia. As a proud Arctic nation, the North has played a significant part in defining who […]
We need to use term ‘genocide’ carefully before it loses all meaning, and impact
OTTAWA—Boy am I ever going to get some flak from this post. I intend to take issue with some of the findings of the Canadian inquiry into the murder and disappearance of Indigenous women, more specifically the use of the term “genocide.” For those who are not Canadian, or who are not following this issue, […]
