Is the nature of Arctic co-operation about to change?
Scientific co-operation on Arctic issues crosses state borders and regional boundaries. An intergovernmental forum, the Arctic Council, which comprises the eight Arctic states, six Arctic Indigenous people’s organizations (as permanent participants), and a growing number of observers, provides a way for scientists from Arctic and non-Arctic countries to contribute to its working groups. The Arctic […]
Arctic sovereignty is contested, Inuit rights are not
Recently, the question of “who owns the Arctic” was thrust back into the news following comments by U.S. Secretary General Mike Pompeo challenging Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. Pompeo was speaking at the Arctic Council’s Ministerial meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland. In his speech, Pompeo restated the long-held American position that the Northwest Passage is […]
Is the Navy missing a great opportunity?
OTTAWA—At a recent Canadian Maritime Advisory Council meeting in Ottawa, I was disappointed to learn again that the Royal Canadian Navy still had no plan to install multi-beam echo sounders (MBES) on the Arctic offshore patrol ships (AOPS) which are under construction now. I was also concerned with the fact that only approximately eight per […]
International interest in the Arctic continues to heat up, is Canada ready?
The Arctic has always been an important symbol for Canada, a geographic statement of our place and status in the world as a northern power. Unfortunately, Canada’s interest in and attention to the Arctic has often been just symbolic. Generations of Canadians and their governments have grown used to thinking of the Arctic as “up […]
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 […]
Feds on an ‘island of delusion’ concerning energy development in the Arctic: expert
In a report addressing Canada’s involvement in the Arctic, CEO and chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Duane Smith described energy insecurity for remote communities in the North as “a cycle of pollution and poverty.” Inuvialuit, a region in the western Arctic, suffers from extremely high costs of living due to the price of energy, […]
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, […]
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 […]
