Arctic policy of Canada
It encompasses the exercise of sovereignty, social and economic development, the protection of the environment, and the improving and devolving of governance.
On August 23, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Nunavut MP Leona Aglukkaq would serve as chair of the Arctic Council when Canada assumed the Chairmanship from Sweden in May 2013.
[1] Along with its mainland in the upper regions of North America, Canada claims sovereignty over the related continental shelf and the Arctic Archipelago.
[2] Government interest in the North began with the English explorations of Frobisher and Davis in the 1500s and the 1670 Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) charter.
[3] The HBC charter gave the company title to Rupert's Land, the watershed of Hudson Bay.
In 1821, the rest of the present-day Northwest Territories and Nunavut south of the Arctic coast was added to the charter.
[2] This compares with the other countries' Arctic regions as follows:[7] Note: The statistic given for Iceland refers to its entire population.
[3] Norway retained territorial interests in the islands until 1930 when it formally recognized the sovereignty of Britain (Canada) over them.
In 2007, the three Canadian territorial governments released "A Northern Vision: A Stronger North and a Better Canada".
[28] Canada has slated $109 million, to be spent before 2014, for research to substantiate extended continental shelf claims in the Arctic region.
In the aftermath of both incidents, Canada strengthened its legislation covering such voyages and devoted additional attention to developing its capacity (both military and otherwise) for operating in the Arctic in support of its sovereignty claims.
ArcticNet's Schools on Board program is based out of The Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth and Resources at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg.
It helps connect high schools across Canada with those conducting climate change research in the Arctic.
Participating schools send students and teachers to the Arctic, on board CCGS Amundsen, to do field research with the ArcticNet science team.
Environmental concerns include global warming, preservation of flora and fauna, shipping traffic, and oil exploration.
As a consequence of the SS Manhattan's venture through the Northwest Passage, the Canadian government enacted the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act.
Cambridge Bay was chosen after a feasibility study that also included Pond Inlet and Resolute as potential locations.
It is a year-round, multidisciplinary facility exploring the cutting-edge of Arctic science and technology issues which opened in 2019.
