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 […]
Trump throws down the Arctic gauntlet: get ready for a rocky summer
On Monday, May 6, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a jaw-droppingly aggressive speech to the Arctic Council. In his remarks, he focused on Russian and Chinese activity in the region, but more surprisingly made time to call out the Canadian position in the Northwest Passage, deriding its “illegitimate” sovereignty and reminding the audience […]
North Policy Briefing
Northern Canada facing the climate change challenge in practical, culturally meaningful ways
The threat of climate change to property and infrastructure has become increasingly apparent to Canadians. With increasing intensity and frequency, forest fires and floods are having a devastating impact on all kinds of communities, whether rural or urban. But imagine a world where climate change puts your way of life and cultural identity at risk. […]
Feds, Irving need to clean up their act and find a better PR move than threatening reporters
OTTAWA—Last week the Globe and Mail broke the story about Irving Shipbuilding being allowed to claim a $40-million industrial benefit for a french fry factory as part of a contract to build navy ships. As odd as this might sound, that was not the bizarre part of this news story. Shortly after the Globe and […]
‘The model doesn’t make any sense’: Senators, Inuit orgs call for Nutrition North transformation
A federal program that subsidizes the cost of sending perishable food to remote communities has a “model that doesn’t make any sense” for northerners, according to Senators who live in the territories and the organizations that represent their communities. Following a new study that questioned the effectiveness in the program in Nunavut, some hope that […]
