Nothing about us without us. Northern prime ministers address the Arctic Circle Forum

YELLOWKNIFE – Canada’s territorial premiers emphasized the need to invest in northern communities and include northerners in decision-making at an Arctic Circle meeting in Greenland that concluded earlier this week.

Yukon Premier Sandy Silver, Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane and Nunavut Premier PJ Akeeagok attended the Arctic Circle forum in Nuuk, Greenland from August 27-29. It was the first time the three had headed to the event.

Cochrane said they shared the message: “nothing about us without us.”

“It has been too long that people have decided the needs of the North without consulting us enough and that is not appropriate,” he said. “We live here, we have more at stake here, and so we need to be a part of those conversations.”

The three prime ministers led a panel on sovereignty and security in Canada’s north, where they emphasized the importance of investing in housing, health, education and infrastructure.

“Being able to bring that parallel message to an international stage was extremely important as the Arctic Circle forum tries to grapple with and understand where we are going after the pandemic.” said silver.

He said those interested in investing in the North or addressing climate change should be concerned that Northern communities have the resources they need, such as equitable access to health care, to thrive.

International concerns about security in the Arctic have increased as new shipping lanes open up in the Arctic due to melting sea ice, and have further intensified since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February.

“The Arctic security spotlight has really brought attention to issues that we’ve lived with for a long time,” Akeeagok said, pointing to the infrastructure gap between Canada’s north and south.

“For Canada to have a strong stake around the world, investments must be made in our communities to make them as vibrant as possible.”

Akeeagok pointed to Grise Fiord, the northernmost community in Canada where he grew up and where the federal government forced some Inuit to relocate in the 1950s.

“The investments that the federal government hasn’t made in creating that community, along with Resolute, is something we all have to learn from.”

Akeeagok said seeing the growth and infrastructure in Nuuk, such as seaports and housing construction, was an “eyeopener” of what is possible for Arctic communities in Canada.

Cochrane said there is a need for international cooperation on shared challenges such as climate change, geopolitical concerns and a lack of sustainable architecture compared to the South.

“We cannot think in isolation. We need to work together, not only in the Canadian arctic region, but also in the circumpolar region,” she said.

“All of us should be concerned and we should all be at the tables and talk about it.”

Akeeagok said he is optimistic about the relationships that have been forged at the forum. He signed a memorandum of understanding with the Prime Minister of Greenland, Mute B. Egede, acknowledging his shared interest in culture and the arts, education, travel and tourism, marine infrastructure, fisheries, and green energy. .

Akeeagok said allowing residents to travel between jurisdictions is at the core of the agreement.

“The relationship that we have has always been very strong and very deep, because it is not only in the limits that we see,” he said. “It’s become connected to who we are, whether it’s through our culture, our languages.”

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 1, 2022.

This story was produced with the financial assistance of Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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