Evaluating Canada's Commitment to Arctic Governance more

Does the Government of Canada's Arctic foreign policy do enough to foster the development of co-operative Arctic governance?

The Arctic Governance Project's Final Report, “Arctic Governance in an Era of Transformative Change: Critical Questions, Governance Principles, Ways Forward” was released in April, 2010. The Report critically examines existing Arctic governance arrangements and recommends adjustments and new arrangements that will ensure the future of functional, co-operative Arctic governance. The Report recommends the increasing involvement of non-state actors in Arctic governance. However, it recognizes that international influence still rests with the sovereign state. Therefore, the Report relies on sovereign states taking up the recommendations of the Report and adjusting their arctic policy to improve Arctic governance.

The Government of Canada released a new comprehensive social, economic, and foreign policy document in 2009. “Canada's Northern Strategy: Our North, Our Heritage, Our Future” identifies four areas of importance to the Canadian North: “exercising our [Canada's] Arctic sovereignty, promoting social and economic development, protecting the North's environmental heritage, and improving and devolving northern governance.” A “Statement on Canada's Arctic Foreign Policy”, building on the “Northern Strategy” and suggesting means of promoting the Strategy internationally, was released in August 2010.

This study analyzes existing Canadian Arctic Policy to determine the extent to which Canada's current Arctic Policy aligns with the recommendations of the Arctic Governance Project Report. This study then seeks to identify areas where improvement is possible and to suggest alterations to Canada's existing policy that would bring Canada closer to meeting the recommendations of the Arctic Governance Project Report.