Above: Presenters and participants at the symposium on Canada-US Arctic issues at the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States headquarters in Washington, DC.<\/i><\/p>\n
In the last edition of\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0<\/i>in 2009, editor Jon Meacham interviewed two of the most prominent secretaries of state in recent history\u2014Henry Kissinger and Hillary Clinton. In the interview, Clinton listed current foreign policy priorities and focused on the emerging issues in the Arctic:<\/p>\n
An area that we’re beginning to pay attention to\u2026 is the Arctic. With the melting of the ice, with sea lanes opening that were never there before\u2026 with Russia saying that they are going to have an expedition next year to plant their flag on the North Pole. With Canada saying, “No, you’d better not.” This is an area that we have to pay real attention to.<\/i><\/p>\n
Five experts provided insights into Canada\u2019s interests in the Arctic, including geographer, Phil Steinberg, Florida State University; political scientists, Rob Huebert, University of Calgary, and St\u00e9phane Roussel, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec, Montr\u00e9al; and Ottawa-based consultants to Nunavut and Nunavik (Canada\u2019s two largest Inuit regions), Terry Fenge, and Donat Savoie.The Canadian Studies Center has been responding to this emerging national need for the past couple of years, including, most recently, a symposium held in DC that focused on Canada-US relations concerning the Arctic. In mid-June the Center collaborated with the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS), Western Washington University, and Trent University to host a one-day event targeted for staff from the Department of State and Congressional Research Service:\u00a0Northern Sovereignty and Political Geography in North America<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Huebert, Associate Director for Military and Strategic Studies, focused on the very real possibility of an arms race developing over Arctic interests. He provided a list of military developments in each of the Arctic nations, illustrating national interests and concerns. Savoie, representing the Makivik Corporation, addressed both human security issues (housing, education, health) and the emerging and effective role of the Inuit in future Canada-US negotiations regarding the Arctic:<\/p>\n
Inuit are increasingly engaged and vocal on these matters regarding sovereignty and related issues. Inuit inclusion as active partners is central to all national and international deliberations on Arctic sovereignty and related questions.<\/i><\/p>\n
Over the last couple of years, the Canadian Studies Center has responded to emerging national concerns in the Arctic via a number of activities\u2014promoting FLAS fellowships in Inuktitut, providing public lectures on Arctic energy and international perspectives on sovereignty, facilitating roundtables on Inuit land claims and political mobilization, developing a Task Force on Arctic sovereignty, and facilitating trade relations between Seattle and Canada\u2019s Arctic.<\/p>\n
Conference Program\u00a0<\/b>The symposium was chaired by Douglas Nord, President, ACSUS and Director, Center for International Studies, Western Washington University; Nadine Fabbi, Associate Director, Canadian Studies Center, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington; and Heather Nicol, Department of Geography, Trent University. Participants included 20 representatives from the US Department of State, the Congressional Research Service, the US Arctic Research Commission, and scholars from Georgetown University and University of Rhode Island.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada\u2019s Sovereignty in the Arctic: An Inuit Perspective,\u201d by Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Arteau, Legal Counsel and Executive Assistant to the President of the Makivik Corporation, presented by Donat Savoie, Inuit, Arctic and Circumpolar Affairs; and Nadine Fabbi, UW Canadian Studies Center, discussant<\/p>\n
\u201cHistorical, Political and Legal Dimensions of Canadian Claims to Sovereignty in the North,\u201d Philip Steinberg, Department of Geography, Florida State University; and Heather Nicol, Trent University, discussant<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada-U.S. Relations in the Arctic,\u201d St\u00e9phane Roussel, Research Chair on Canadian Foreign Policy and Defense, University of Qu\u00e9bec at Montreal; and\u00a0 Douglas Nord, discussant<\/p>\n
\u201cProtecting and Promoting Canadian Arctic Sovereignty and Security,\u201d Rob Huebert, Center for Military and Strategic Studies, University of Calgary; and Jo\u00ebl Plouffe, University of Qu\u00e9bec at Montr\u00e9al, discussant<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Arctic Climate Impact Assessment Process and the 2005 Inuit Human Rights Petition,\u201d Terry Fenge, Consultant on Aboriginal, Environmental and Circumpolar Affairs, Ottawa; and Udlu Hanson, Senior Policy Advisor Nunavut Tunngavik, discussant<\/p>\n
This symposium was funded, in part, by a Conference Grant from the Government of Canada and the Center\u2019s Title VI Grant, International Programs Service, US Department of Education.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Above: Presenters and participants at the symposium on Canada-US Arctic issues at the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States headquarters in Washington, DC. In the last edition of\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0in 2009, editor Jon Meacham interviewed two of the most prominent secretaries of state in recent history\u2014Henry Kissinger and Hillary Clinton. In the interview, Clinton listed<\/p>\n