FÆU, Alm.del - 2009-10 - Bilag 48: Canadas udenrigspolitik i forhold til Arktis

TABLE OF CONTENTSINTrOduCTION............................................................................3ExErCISINgSOvErEIgNTy............................................................5PrOmOTINgECONOmIC ANdSOCIALdEvELOPmENT....................... 11PrOTECTINg ThEArCTICENvIrONmENT...................................... 16ImPrOvINg ANddEvOLvINggOvErNANCE:EmPOwErINg ThEPEOPLES OF ThENOrTh................................... 22ThEwAyFOrwArd................................................................ 24CONCLuSION............................................................................ 27

INTrOduCTIONThe Arctic is fundamental to Canada’s national identity. It is home to many Canadians,including indigenous peoples, across the Yukon, the Northwest Territories andNunavut, and the northern parts of many Canadian provinces. The Arctic is embeddedin Canadian history and culture, and in the Canadian soul. The Arctic also representstremendous potential for Canada’s future. Exercising sovereignty over Canada’s North,as over the rest of Canada, is our number one Arctic foreign policy priority.Our vision for the Arctic is a stable, rules-based region with clearly defined boundar-ies, dynamic economic growth and trade, vibrant Northern communities, and healthyand productive ecosystems. This Arctic foreign policy statement articulates how theGovernment of Canada will promote this vision, using leadership and stewardship.It elaborates on Canadian interests in the Arctic and how Canada is pursuing these.New opportunities and challenges are emerging across the Arctic and North, in part asa result of climate change and the search for new resources. The geopolitical signifi-cance of the region and the implications for Canada have never been greater. As globalcommerce charts a path to the region, Northern resources development will grow evermore critical to Northern economies, to the peoples of the North and to our country asa whole. The potential of the North is of growing interest to Canada, to other Arcticstates and, increasingly, to others far from the region itself.While the opportunities are great, there are also important social, economic and envi-ronmental challenges. Some of these have important international dimensions. Overtime, increased access to the Arctic will bring more traffic and people to the region.While mostly positive, this access may also contribute to an increase in environmentalthreats, search and rescue incidents, civil emergencies and potential illegal activities.How the region as a whole evolves will have major implications for Canada and ourrole as an Arctic power.2/3

The Government of Canada has launched an ambitious Northern Strategy to respond tothese opportunities and challenges. Our Northern Strategy lays out four areas whereCanada is taking action to advance its interests both domestically and internationallyand to help unlock the North’s true potential: exercising sovereignty; promoting eco-nomic and social development; protecting our environmental heritage; and improvingand devolving Northern governance. In pursuing each of these pillars in our Arcticforeign policy, Canada is committed to exercising the full extent of its sovereignty,sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the region.

Given our extensive Arctic coastline, our Northern energy and natural resource poten-tial, and the 40 percent of our land mass situated in the North, Canada is an Arcticpower. We are taking a robust leadership role in shaping the stewardship, sustainabledevelopment and environmental protection of this strategic Arctic region, and engag-ing with others to advance our interests.As we advance the four pillars of our Northern Strategy, our international efforts willfocus on the following areas:engaging with neighbours to seek to resolve boundary issues;securing international recognition for the full extent of our extended continen-tal shelf;addressing Arctic governance and related emerging issues, such as publicsafety;creating the appropriate international conditions for sustainable development;

seeking trade and investment opportunities that benefit Northerners and allCanadians;encouraging a greater understanding of the human dimension of the Arctic;promoting an ecosystem-based management approach with Arctic neighboursand others;contributing to and supporting international efforts to address climate changein the Arctic;enhancing our efforts on other pressing environmental issues;strengthening Arctic science and the legacy of International Polar Year;engaging Northerners on Canada’s Arctic foreign policy;supporting Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations; andproviding Canadian youth with opportunities to participate in the circumpolardialogue.4/5

ExErCISINgSOvErEIgNTyIn our Arctic foreign policy, the first and most important pillar towards recognizingthe potential of Canada’s Arctic is the exercise of our sovereignty over the Far North.Canada has a rich history in the North, and Canada’s sovereignty is the foundationfor realizing the full potential of Canada’s North, including its human dimension. Thisfoundation is solid: Canada’s Arctic sovereignty is long-standing, well established andbased on historic title, founded in part on the presence of Inuit and other indigenouspeoples since time immemorial.

Canada exercises its sovereignty daily through good governance and responsi-ble stewardship. It does so through the broad range of actions it undertakes as agovernment—whether related to social and economic development, Arctic scienceand research, environmental protection, the operations of the Canadian Forces or theactivities of the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Mounted Police. We exer-cise our sovereignty in the Arctic through our laws and regulations, as we do through-out Canada.We are putting the full resources of the Government of Canada behind the exercise ofour sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the Arctic. We are taking a whole-of-government approach. Since taking office, the Prime Minister and many federalcabinet ministers have made regular visits to Canada’s North. Further evidence of thepriority the Government of Canada is placing on the North was the meeting of G-7finance ministers in Nunavut in February 2010.Since 2007, the Government of Canada has announced a number of initiatives to en-hance our capacity in the North and to exercise, responsibly, our sovereignty there.These include significant new commitments to allow Canada to better monitor, protectand patrol its Arctic land, sea and sky and to keep pace with changes in the region.Within the next decade, Canada will launch a new polar icebreaker. This will be thelargest and most powerful icebreaker ever in the Canadian Coast Guard fleet.TheCanada FirstDefence Strategy will give the Canadian Forces the tools it needs toprovide an increased presence in the Arctic. Through this strategy, Canada is invest-ing in new patrol ships that will be capable of sustained operation in first-year ice toensure we can closely monitor our waters as they gradually open up and maritimeactivity increases. In order to support these and other Government of Canada ves-sels operating in the North, Canada is investing in a berthing and refuelling facilityin Nanisivik.

Canada is also expanding the size and capabilities of the Canadian Rangers, drawnprimarily from indigenous communities, that provide a military presence and Canada’s“eyes and ears” in remote parts of Canada. A new Canadian Forces Arctic TrainingCentre is also being established in Resolute Bay.Canada and the United States work together to better monitor and control Northernairspace through our cooperation in NORAD, the North American Aerospace DefenceCommand. Canadian Forces will also take advantage of new technologies to enhancesurveillance capacity of our territory and its approaches.Canadian Forces Operation Nanook, an annual sovereignty operation that takes placein Canada’s Arctic, shows the government’s commitment to protecting and demon-strating control over the air, land and sea within our jurisdiction. In 2010, OperationNanook will include collaboration with the United States and Denmark in orderto increase interoperability and exercise a collective response to emerging cross-border challenges.This increased Canadian capacity demonstrates Canada’s presence in the region andwill also ensure that we are better prepared to respond to unforeseen events.Moving forward, our international agenda will complement these efforts further. Threepriority areas that Canada will pursue in the Arctic are: seeking to resolve boundary is-sues; securing international recognition for the full extent of our extended continentalshelf wherein we can exercise our sovereign rights over the resources of the seabedand subsoil; and addressing Arctic governance and related emerging issues, such aspublic safety.On the first priority,Canada will seek to resolve boundary issues in the Arcticregion, in accordance with international law. Our sovereignty over Canadian Arcticlands, including islands, is undisputed—with the single exception of Hans Island, a1.3-square-kilometre Canadian island which Denmark claims.

With regard to Arctic waters, Canada controls all maritime navigation in its waters.Nevertheless, disagreements exist between the United States and Canada regard-ing the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea (approximately 6,250 square nauticalmiles) and between Canada and Denmark over a small part of the maritime boundaryin the Lincoln Sea. All disagreements are well managed, neither posing defence chal-lenges for Canada nor diminishing Canada’s ability to collaborate and cooperate withits Arctic neighbours. Canada will continue to manage these discrete boundary issuesand will also, as a priority, seek to work with our neighbours to explore the possibilityof resolving them in accordance with international law.On the second priority,Canada will secure international recognition for the fullextent of our extended continental shelf wherein we can exercise our sovereign rightsover the resources of the seabed and subsoil. Most known Arctic natural resources liewithin the exclusive economic zones of Arctic states—200 nautical miles extendingfrom the coastal baselines. States have sovereign rights to explore and exploit livingand non-living marine resources in their respective exclusive economic zones. Arcticcoastal states also have existing rights to resources on their extended continentalshelves beyond their exclusive economic zones.The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) explicitly recognizesthe rights of coastal states such as Canada over the natural resources of the seabedand subsoil beyond 200 nautical miles from their coastal baselines and sets out aprocess by which a state may determine the limits within which it may exercise thoserights. Canada will make its submission to the United Nations Commission on theLimits of the Continental Shelf in December 2013 and is currently engaged in the sci-entific, technical and legal work needed to delineate the outer limits of its continentalshelf. Autonomous underwater vehicles—with Canadian technology at their heart—are being used to collect some of the needed data. Canada is investing significantly toensure that Canada secures international recognition for the full extent of its continen-tal shelf in both the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.

The other Arctic coastal states also have extended continental shelves and are in-volved in a similar process. To maximize data collection in a challenging physical envi-ronment, encourage exchange of information and minimize future differences, Canadahas been working closely with neighbouring Arctic Ocean coastal states. We will acton a priority basis to ensure Canada has a sound submission by the 2013 deadline. Anyoverlaps with the submissions of neighbouring states will be resolved through peace-ful means in accordance with international law.Beyond concrete stepson boundaries, Canada’s sovereignty agenda will alsoaddress Arctic governance and related emerging issues, such as public safety.Increasingly, the world is turning its attention northward, with many players far re-moved from the region itself seeking a role and in some cases calling into questionthe governance of the Arctic. While many of these players could have a contributionto make in the development of the North, Canada does not accept the premise thatthe Arctic requires a fundamentally new governance structure or legal framework. Nordoes Canada accept that the Arctic nation states are unable to appropriately managethe North as it undergoes fundamental change.Canada, like other Arctic nations, stands by the extensive international legal frame-work that applies to the Arctic Ocean. Notably, UNCLOS, as referred to earlier, pro-vides the legal basis for delineation of continental shelves and goes well beyond thisto address the protection of the marine environment, freedom of navigation, marinescientific research, conservation and utilization of marine living resources, and otheruses of the sea.However, within this broad legal framework, new challenges are emerging. Until now,the Arctic Ocean’s inaccessibility has meant that the region was largely insulated fromthe sort of safety and law enforcement challenges present in regions further south.However, decreasing ice cover will lead, over time, to increases in shipping, tourismand economic development in the Arctic Ocean region. While the full extent of the

changes will take many decades to realize, Canada and other Arctic Ocean coastalstates must begin to prepare for greater traffic into the region, with sometimes nega-tive effects.Regional solutions, supported by robust domestic legislation in Arctic states, willbe critical. Canada will work in concert with other Arctic nations through the ArcticCouncil1(the primary forum for collaboration among the eight Arctic states), with thefive Arctic Ocean coastal states on issues of particular relevance to the Arctic Ocean,and bilaterally with key Arctic partners, particularly the United States.We will need to consider how to respond to issues such as emergency response andsearch and rescue capability and potential future problems related to emergencies(including environmental), organized crime, and illegal trafficking in drugs and people.One very important initiative is the current effort within the Arctic Council to nego-tiate a search and rescue agreement for the Arctic. Information sharing, coordina-tion of efforts, and pooling resources are all concrete ways in which partnership maybe beneficial.The recently held Arctic Ocean Foreign Ministers meeting was an important step notonly in advancing our collaboration on continental shelf delineation but also in en-couraging forward thinking on the emerging issues in the region. The meeting publiclydemonstrated leadership and partnership by Canada and other coastal states on re-sponsible management of the Arctic Ocean.Protecting national sovereignty, and the integrity of our borders, is the first and fore-most responsibility of a national government. We are resolved to protect Canadiansovereignty throughout our Arctic.

The potential for wealth and job creation through resource development, both livingand non-living, is great. Canada is the world’s third largest diamond producer. It isestimated that one-fifth of the world’s petroleum reserves lie in the Arctic. That iswhy the Government of Canada is investing significantly in mapping the energy andmineral potential of the North. Managed in a sustainable manner, Canada’s incredibleendowment, including living marine resources such as fisheries, will contribute to theprosperity of Northerners and all Canadians for generations. These resources can andwill be a cornerstone of sustained economic activity in the North and a key to buildingprosperous indigenous and Northern communities.In addition to investments in mapping in the North, the Government of Canada hasmade a wide variety of recent commitments related to promoting Northern social andeconomic development. These include measures to improve regulatory systems acrossthe North, to address infrastructure needs including housing, to create the CanadianNorthern Economic Development Agency, and to support improvement in indigenousskills and employment.

Ensuring sustainable development in the Arctic involves working closely with territo-rial governments and Northerners and through key international institutions like theArctic Council to build self-sufficient, vibrant and healthy communities. The well-beingof the people of the North—its inhabitants and communities—is fundamental.Canada will actively promote Northern economic and social development internation-ally on three key fronts: take steps to create the appropriate international conditionsfor sustainable development, seek trade and investment opportunities that benefitNortherners and all Canadians, and encourage a greater understanding of the humandimension of the Arctic to improve the lives of Northerners.First,Canada will take steps to create the appropriate international conditions forsustainable development in the Arctic, complementing domestic measures to supporteconomic development. This involves understanding the opportunities and challengesof Arctic energy and resource development and developing regulations, guidelinesand standards that are informed by Arctic science and research, including traditionalknowledge. In no area is this more critical than in oil and gas development.As an emerging clean energy superpower, Canada will continue to support the respon-sible and sustainable development of oil and gas in the North. Along with the rest ofthe international community, we have witnessed the terrible environmental, social andeconomic impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.Canada recognizes and values the importance of working closely with other Arcticstates and will take every step possible to prevent such an event in Canadian waters.Canada is showing leadership at home in Arctic safety and environmental require-ments for offshore drilling through the review undertaken by the National EnergyBoard. Moreover, Canadians and our Arctic neighbours can be assured that no drillingwill occur in Canada’s deep Beaufort Sea until at least 2014.

Canada is a party to a number of bilateral and multilateral agreements and is activelyengaged in various international forums, including the Arctic Council, on matters relat-ing to the protection of the marine environment. In the wake of the oil spill in the Gulfof Mexico, we are furthering our collaboration at the appropriate levels, in particularwith the United States and Denmark/Greenland in light of our common interests in theArctic marine environment.The 2007 Arctic Council Oil and Gas Assessment examined the impacts of current oiland gas activities in the Arctic and potential impacts related to possible future activi-ties. The Oil and Gas Assessment found that while extensive oil and gas explorationactivity and production have occurred in parts of the Arctic, much potential exists forfuture oil and gas development. Related risks need to be managed carefully. Canadamade significant contributions to the Assessment.The Arctic Council, with significant Canadian participation, updated its Arctic OffshoreOil and Gas Guidelines in 2009. These guidelines recommend standards, technical andenvironmental best practices, management policy and regulatory controls for Arcticoffshore oil and gas operations. Canada will act on the request from the Arctic Councilthat all states apply these guidelines as minimum standards throughout the Arctic andwill encourage others to do so as well.Arctic shipping is another key area of focus. The 2009 Arctic Marine ShippingAssessment is the first comprehensive review of circumpolar shipping activities andprovides important information about possible future shipping activities and their po-tential impacts. Among its findings, the Assessment noted that Arctic shipping has in-creased significantly, with more voyages to the Arctic and between Arctic destinations.However, the various Canadian internal waterways known as Canada’s “NorthwestPassage” are not predicted to become a viable, large-scale transit route in the nearterm, in part because mobile and unpredictable ice in the Passage poses significantnavigational challenges and other routes are likely to be more commercially viable.

The Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment also provides guidance on enhancing Arcticmarine safety, protecting Arctic peoples and environment, and building Arctic marineinfrastructure. Based on these recommendations, the 2009 Arctic Council Ministerialsupported the development of a mandatory polar code for shipping by the InternationalMaritime Organization (IMO). As an IMO member, Canada will continue to play a lead-ing role in the development of this code. We, along with other Arctic Council states,have also agreed to work together towards an international agreement on search andrescue operations for the Arctic by 2011.Within the IMO context, Canada has also assumed responsibility for providing navi-gational warning and meteorological services to facilitate the safe management ofmarine traffic in two Arctic areas. These cover substantial areas of Arctic waters,including the Northwest Passage. Through this initiative, Canada will deliver servicesthat help mitigate the risks associated with increased Arctic shipping. These serviceswill also enhance environmental protection of the Arctic marine environment, sup-port Northern residents in their maritime activities, and provide necessary services forcoastal and marine-based resource development.Canada is playing a key role in the creation of the Arctic Regional HydrographicCommission to improve our understanding of the features of the Arctic Ocean and itscoastal areas, essential knowledge for safe navigation. Canada has offered to host theCommission’s inaugural meeting in fall 2010.Second,Canada will continue to seek trade and investment opportunities that benefitNortherners and all Canadians.Canada will enhance its trading ties with other Arctic states. We have recently imple-mented a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) mem-ber countries, which include Iceland and Norway. This agreement has the potential toenhance trade and investment between Northern regions of our respective countries.We are also seeking to build new trade ties with other Arctic states to create these

same links between our respective Northern regions. These Northern commercial rela-tionships can serve as conduits to expand trade and investment relations not only withour immediate Northern neighbours but also with other states such as those in centralAsia and Eastern Europe.Improving air and sea transportation links to create enhanced access across thepolar region can help encourage Arctic trade and investment opportunities. For in-stance, investments have been made to upgrade the Port of Churchill, Manitoba,to facilitate increased export options and the flow of two-way trade with otherNorthern ports.Third,Canada will continue to encourage a greater understanding of the human di-mension of the Arctic to improve the lives of Northerners, particularly through theArctic Council. The Arctic Council’s Arctic Human Development Report was the firstcomprehensive assessment of human well-being to address the entire Arctic region.Canada will continue to play a leadership role in Arctic Council initiatives in this areaand to host the Secretariat for the Council’s Sustainable Development Working Group.For example, the 2008 Arctic Indigenous Languages Symposium, organized by the InuitCircumpolar Council with support from the Government of Canada, underlined the im-portance of preserving and strengthening indigenous languages.Addressing human health issues in Northern communities is also critically important.Canada has been supporting efforts through the Arctic Council and International PolarYear research to better understand the issues and then develop and implement ap-propriate health policies. The results of international collaboration are all aimed atimproving the health conditions of residents in the Arctic. Canada will play a lead rolein the Arctic Council on a range of new health-related projects, including the develop-ment of a circumpolar health observatory, a comparative review of circumpolar healthsystems, and a comparative review of circumpolar nutritional guidelines.

Canada’s commitment to Northern economic and social development includes a deeprespect for indigenous traditional knowledge, work and cultural activities. Going for-ward, Canada will promote a better understanding of the interests, concerns, cultureand practices of Northerners, including with regard to seals and polar bears. In thiscontext, Canada is committed to defend sealing on the international stage. Seals area valuable natural resource, and the seal hunt is an economic mainstay for numerousrural communities in many parts of Canada including the North.

PrOTECTINg ThEArCTICENvIrONmENTThe Arctic environment is being affected by events taking place far outside the region.Perhaps the most well-known example is climate change, a phenomenon which origi-nates outside the Arctic but is having a significant impact on the region’s unique andfragile environment. The resulting rapid reduction in Arctic multi-year sea ice has had,and will continue to have, profound consequences for the peoples and communities ofthe Arctic. What happens in the Arctic will have global repercussions on acceleratingclimate change elsewhere.Strong environmental protection, an essential component of sustainable development,starts at home and is another important way in which Canada exercises its sovereigntyin the North. Canada has long been at the forefront in protecting the Arctic environ-ment. As far back as the 1970s, Canada enacted the Arctic Waters Pollution PreventionAct (AWPPA) to protect its marine environment, taking responsibility for enacting andenforcing anti-pollution and shipping safety laws applicable to a larger area of Arcticwaters. In August 2009, the application of the AWPPA was extended from 100 to200 nautical miles. In addition, regulations requiring vessels to report when enteringand operating within Canadian Arctic waters have been finalized and are in force fromJuly 1, 2010.

These measures and others such as plans to establish a national marine conservationarea in Lancaster Sound send a clear message to the world. Canada takes responsibil-ity for environmental protection and enforcement in our Arctic waters. We are demon-strating stewardship in this magnificent ecological region.Canada is committed to planning and managing Arctic Ocean and land-based ac-tivities domestically and internationally in an integrated and comprehensive mannerthat balances conservation, sustainable use and economic development—ensuringbenefits for users and the ecosystem as a whole. We are acting domestically whilecooperating internationally. Internationally, we will act in the following four ways:promote an ecosystem-based management approach with our Arctic neighbours andothers; contribute to and support international efforts to address climate change in theArctic; enhance efforts on other pressing international issues, including pursuing andstrengthening international standards; and strengthen Arctic science and the legacyof International Polar Year.First,Canada will continue to promote an ecosystem-based management approachwith its Arctic neighbours and others.In accordance with Canada’s Oceans Act, Canada is working with land claim authori-ties, governments, industry and communities to implement an ecosystem approachin the Beaufort Sea and has identified ecologically significant marine species andplaces. This is part of a broader ecosystem approach in the Arctic by the Governmentof Canada that also includes activities related to the international co-managementof species in the Arctic whose habitat crosses national borders (e.g. caribou, polar

bears and Arctic birds). These activities fall under international conventions and agree-ments such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the MigratoryBird Treaty, and the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. International col-laborative Arctic science and research is a fundamental aspect of the Government ofCanada’s participation in such agreements.Canada and its Arctic neighbours are the stewards of unique wildlife such as polarbears. The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of indigenous knowledgeand the need to use it in tandem with Western science in our efforts to better under-stand polar bears and their habitat.Canada has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States for theconservation and management of a shared polar bear population. In addition, Canadahas developed agreements with other Arctic nations to jointly manage polar bears, nar-whals and belugas. This work must continue in order to manage other shared species.As part of its mandate, the Arctic Council has been playing a lead role in identify-ing large marine ecosystems in the region and determining best practices in oceanmanagement. Canada will play a leadership role in the Arctic Council’s Arctic OceanReview which aims to strengthen and ensure the sustainable development of theArctic Ocean. In pursuing strengthened Arctic Ocean stewardship, we will work withother interested partners and users of the Arctic Ocean as well as through regional andinternational organizations, including the Arctic Council and the IMO.2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and the Arctic is the focus of considerableattention. Canada will continue to lead the Arctic Council’s Circumpolar BiodiversityMonitoring Program to ensure information on population status and trends for Arcticspecies and ecosystems is available and supports initiatives such as the ArcticBiodiversity Assessment. The Council has recently developed the Arctic Species TrendIndex, which provides decision-makers with a valuable tool for managing and predict-ing Arctic wildlife populations. Tracking the index over time will facilitate this predic-tion of trends and identify species and groups experiencing rapid change.STATEMENTONCANADA’SARCTICFOREIGN POLICY

Canada will continue to establish terrestrial and marine protected areas in the Arcticand monitor biodiversity and ecological integrity. Canada recognizes that ecologicallysensitive areas are essential for the conservation of Arctic species including polarbears, caribous, migratory birds, and marine mammals and other aquatic species.These sensitive areas play a key role in the survival and recovery of species at risk.They also provide significant ecotourism opportunities to an expanding market ofCanadians and international visitors.Canada has made significant progress in establishing protected areas in over10 percent of our North, designating 80 protected areas covering nearly400,000 square kilometres. These areas include 11 national parks, six nationalwildlife areas and 16 migratory bird sanctuaries and will protect habitat for a widevariety of species.Canada continues to plan for additional protected areas in the North and has an am-bitious program to expand the national park system, including the creation of threenew national parks. The Government of Canada is moving forward in consultationwith communities and industry to add nearly 70,000 square kilometres to Canada’sNorthern protected areas network. Canada will be finalizing a Policy Framework forCanada’s National Network of Marine Protected Areas that will guide marine protect-ed area establishment, including the five marine ecoregions found in the Arctic. Thecreation of the majority of existing national parks in the Arctic proceeded hand-in-handwith land claim negotiations, as are all of the new national park proposals.Second,Canada will continue to actively contribute to and support international ef-forts to address climate change in the Arctic, including both mitigation and adaptationin the Arctic. Climate change is having a disproportionate impact on the Arctic, and theArctic Council’s 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment heightened global awarenessof the problem.

Canada recognizes that climate change is a global challenge requiring a global solu-tion. To that end, the government is committed to contributing to the global effortby taking action to reduce Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions through sustained ac-tion domestically to build a low-carbon economy, working with our North Americanpartners and constructively engaging with our international partners to negotiate afair, environmentally effective and comprehensive international climate change regimebased on the Copenhagen Accord. Canada has been, and continues to be, very activein these international negotiations, and will seek to ensure that consideration is givento the Arctic’s unique set of climate change-related challenges in every relevant forum.New evidence suggests that certain short-term factors are having an impact on therate of climate change. The 2009 Arctic Council Ministerial approved the formationof a task force on “short-lived climate forcers” in the Arctic. While climate agents orforcers, such as black carbon,2contribute significantly to climate change, they can po-tentially be brought under control much more quickly than long-term contributors suchas carbon dioxide. The task force will identify existing and new measures to reduceemissions of these forcers and will recommend further immediate action.Canada has been, and will continue to be, active in climate change adaptation initia-tives. Canada played an important role in the Arctic Council’s recent Vulnerability andAdaptation to Climate Change in the Arctic project. Underlining the importance of com-munity involvement in planning for and responding to climate change adaptation is oneof Canada’s key contributions. Canada recognizes that enhanced action on adaptationwill be a significant component of the post-2012 climate change negotiations underthe United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Canada plays an activeand constructive role in those discussions.In support of these objectives, the Government of Canada has been working in closepartnership with Northern communities and governments to assess risks, vulnerabilities2

and opportunities related to a changing climate. Over the last two years, over 60 proj-ects have been funded in the Canadian Arctic that have led to the development ofcommunity and regional adaptation plans, increasing knowledge and understanding ofclimate-related implications and the development of strong partnerships essential toimplementing adaptation action.Third,Canada will enhance its efforts on other pressing environmental issues, includ-ing pursuing and strengthening international standards, where appropriate. Canadawill continue to engage in the negotiation of an international regime on access togenetic resources and the sharing of their benefits, under the Convention on BiologicalDiversity. Researchers around the world are interested in genetic resources found inextreme environments like the Arctic. We recognize the importance of these issues toNortherners and Northern communities.Persistent organic pollutants and mercury, released far from the Arctic, have had seri-ous impacts on Arctic peoples. Canada and the Inuit Circumpolar Council3played animportant role in the negotiation of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent OrganicPollutants. Canada will continue to address the problems arising from these contami-nants, including waste management practices in the North, and will engage activelyin global negotiations to reduce mercury emissions.Canada is setting an international example with the Federal Contaminated SitesAction Plan. The government is providing $3.5 billion over 15 years to address federalcontaminated sites, with the majority of resources directed to contaminated sites inthe North. Canada is contributing to the global effort to address mercury emissionswith a plan to implement new environmental performance standards that will reducegreenhouse gas emissions and pollutants such as mercury from coal-fired electric-ity generating plants. An international agreement on the reduction of mercury emis-sions will help reduce the impact of mercury on the health and the environment ofCanadians, particularly in the North.3

Fourth,Canada will contribute to strengthening Arctic science and the legacy ofInternational Polar Year. Arctic science forms an important foundation for Canada’sNorthern Strategy, providing the knowledge necessary for sound policy and decision-making both on domestic and international issues. To ensure that Canada remains aglobal leader in Arctic science, the Government of Canada has committed to establish-ing a new world-class research station in the High Arctic that will serve Canada andthe world, and work is proceeding on its development. The station will anchor a strongresearch presence in Canada’s Arctic and to complement these efforts, Canada hasalso invested in upgrading existing research facilities in over 30 sites across the Arctic.Canada made one of the largest single contributions of any country to InternationalPolar Year and will be hosting its final wrap-up event in Montreal in April 2012. Canadais also taking a lead role in the Arctic Council’s Sustaining Arctic Observing Networksproject. Its purpose is to further international engagement in developing sustainedand coordinated pan-Arctic observing and data-sharing systems, particularly relatedto environmental, social, economic and cultural issues.

ImPrOvINg ANddEvOLvINggOvErNANCE:EmPOwErINg ThEPEOPLES OF ThENOrThThe Government of Canada is committed to providing Canadian Northerners with morecontrol over their economic and political destiny. Canada is taking steps to endorsethe United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in a manner fullyconsistent with Canada’s Constitution and laws. In recent decades, Canada’s Northerngovernments have taken on greater responsibility for many aspects of their region’s af-fairs. Progress is continuing in this area and represents another way in which Canadais exercising its sovereignty in the Arctic. Canada’s North is also home to some of themost innovative, consultative approaches to government in Canada and the world.Through land claim and self-government agreements, indigenous communities are de-veloping made-in-the-North policies and strategies to address their unique economicand social challenges and opportunities.

Canada recognizes and values the important role Northern governments, ArcticIndigenous organizations at the Arctic Council (known as Permanent Participant or-ganizations) and other Northerners have played, and will continue to play, in shapingCanada’s international actions. Canada’s Arctic foreign policy bolsters our domesticefforts for strong governance in the North in the following three ways.First,Canada will engage with Northerners on Canada’s Arctic foreign policy.Through the Canadian Arctic Council Advisory Committee, Northern governments andIndigenous Permanent Participant organizations in Canada4will have the opportunityto actively participate in shaping Canadian policy on Arctic issues. We will continue tomeet regularly in Canada’s North to find common ground and work towards commonobjectives.Second,the Government of Canada will continue to support Indigenous PermanentParticipant organizations in Canada, including financially, to contribute to strengthen-ing their capacity to fully participate in the activities of the Arctic Council. Furthermore,Canada will encourage other Arctic Council states to support the participation of theirPermanent Participant organizations. Canada will also support the continued uniquestatus of Permanent Participant organizations at the Arctic Council, which was createdto provide for their active participation and full consultation. As interest by non-Arcticplayers in the work of the Council grows, Canada will work to ensure that the centralrole of the Permanent Participants is not diminished or diluted.

ThEwAyFOrwArdThe rapid pace of change and growing importance of the Arctic requires that weenhance our capacity to deliver on Canada’s priorities on the international scene.Facing the challenges and seizing the opportunities that we face often require find-ing ways to work with others: through bilateral relations with our neighbours in theArctic, through regional mechanisms like the Arctic Council, and through other multi-lateral institutions.The United States is our premier partner in the Arctic and our goal is a more strategicengagement on Arctic issues. This includes working together on issues related to theBeaufort Sea, on Arctic science, on Aboriginal and Northern issues, and on a commonagenda that we might pursue when first Canada and then the United States chairs theArctic Council starting in 2013. We are also working with Russia, Norway, Denmark,Sweden, Finland and Iceland to advance shared interests such as trade and transporta-tion, environmental protection, natural resource development, the role of indigenouspeoples, oceans management, climate change adaptation and scientific cooperation.However, the key foundation for any collaboration will be acceptance of and respectfor the perspectives and knowledge of Northerners and Arctic states’ sovereignty. Aswell, there must be recognition that the Arctic states remain best placed to exerciseleadership in the management of the region.Canada was the first chair of the Arctic Council (1996-98) and will be chairing theCouncil again starting in 2013. The Arctic Council is the leading multilateral forum

through which we advance our Arctic foreign policy and promote Canadian Northerninterests. It is a consensus-based, high-level intergovernmental forum that promotesthe environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development and en-vironmental protection in the Arctic region. The unique structure of the Council bringsboth the eight Arctic states and the six Arctic Indigenous Permanent Participants to-gether around a common agenda—enhancing the strength and effectiveness of thisunique multilateral forum.Canada will engage with Northern governments and Permanent Participants to ensurethat the Arctic Council continues to respond to the region’s challenges and opportuni-ties, thus furthering our national interests.From Canada’s perspective, the Council needs to be strengthened to ensure that it isequipped to address tomorrow’s challenges. Canada will act on several fronts.First,we will pursue a greater policy dialogue within the Council. The Council has tra-ditionally played a strong role in science, research, monitoring and assessments, andthe development of guidelines (e.g. for oil and gas) in some select areas. Canada willplay a proactive role as the Council moves forward to encourage the implementationof guidelines, the development of “best practices” and, where appropriate, the nego-tiation of policy instruments. The current negotiation of a regional search and rescueagreement (the first ever attempt at a binding instrument under the rubric of the ArcticCouncil) will serve as an important test case and will inform the scope for future policyendeavours. Canada will also work to ensure that the research activities of the Councilcontinue to focus on key emerging issues to ensure that solid knowledge underpins thepolicy work of the Council.Second,Canada will lead efforts to develop a more strategic communications rolefor the Arctic Council. As the profile of the Arctic increases, the image of the Counciland information about the broad range of cutting-edge work that it is doing need to24/25

be bolstered. In this vein, a greater outreach role for the Council will increase boththe understanding of the interests of Arctic states and people, and of the Council andits mandate.Third,Canada will work with other member states to address the structural needsof the organization. While the current informal nature of the body has served Canadawell for many years, the growing demands on the organization may require changesto make it more robust. Canada will work with other Arctic states to develop options,including with respect to the role of the Council, related “secretariat” functions, andfunding issues.Beyond the Arctic Council, Canada will work through other multilateral institutionssuch as the International Maritime Organization and the United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change towards global solutions to issues like polar shippingregulations and climate change. Arctic-specific organizations such as the StandingCommittee of Parliamentarians for the Arctic Region, the Northern Forum, and theUniversity of the Arctic are important partners on a variety of issues.The increasing accessibility of the Arctic has led to a widespread perception that theregion could become a source of conflict. This has led to heightened interest in theArctic in a number of international organizations including NATO and the Organizationfor Security and Co-operation in Europe. Canada does not anticipate any military chal-lenges in the Arctic and believes that the region is well managed through existinginstitutions, particularly the Arctic Council. We will continue to monitor discussion ofArctic issues in other international forums and intervene when necessary to protectCanada’s interests.Canada is taking other steps to demonstrate leadership, such as the 2010 ArcticOcean Foreign Ministers meeting. In addition, a new Arctic regional policy and pro-gram centre at Canada’s Embassy in Norway has been established, strengthening our

CONCLuSIONThrough our Arctic foreign policy, we will deliver on the international dimension of ourNorthern Strategy. We will show leadership in demonstrating responsible stewardshipwhile we build a region responsive to Canadian interests and values, secure in theknowledge that the North is our home and our destiny.Through our Arctic foreign policy, we are also sending a clear message: Canada isin control of its Arctic lands and waters and takes its stewardship role and responsi-bilities seriously. Canada continues to stand up for its interests in the Arctic. Whenpositions or actions are taken by others that affect our national interests, underminethe cooperative relationships we have built, or demonstrate a lack of sensitivity to theinterests or perspectives of Arctic peoples or states, we respond.Cooperation, diplomacy and respect for international law have always been Canada’spreferred approach in the Arctic. At the same time, we will never waver in our com-mitment to protect our North.