The Current - Will Canada’s new Arctic policy bring change for the North?

Episode Date: December 9, 2024

Canada’s new Arctic Foreign Policy, announced on Friday, aims to strengthen Canada’s position in the region as it’s under threat from Russia and climate change. Leaders in Canada’s North say the policy looks good on paper, but are still waiting to see what changes it might hold for people living in the North, where infrastructure is scant and life is expensive.

In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news, so I started a podcast called On Drugs. We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with Season 3 of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy.

On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. This is a CBC Podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway and this is The Current Podcast. Canada has unveiled a new Arctic foreign policy. This is designed to meet emerging threats and strengthen Canada's position in the north. The foreign affairs minister, Melanie Jolie, launched the policy on Friday. Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has led us all to ask, who's next? It is clear that Russia has no red lines. Its designs on the Arctic and its resources are well known. Russia's military

is more aggressive in its incursion into the Arctic. And now China has begun to launch joint operations with Russia. On top of potential foreign threats, climate change is having a devastating impact on communities who have called the North home for generations. The federal government's new strategy was crafted alongside territorial governments and indigenous communities. Natan Obed is president of the Inuit Tapirit Kanatami. This is a national Inuit organization representing 70,000 people spread across 51 communities in the north. He's in Ottawa this morning. Good morning.

Good morning. You have said that this new policy represents, in your words, a sea change. What did you mean by that? Well, for too much of Canada's history, What did you mean by that? Well, for too much of Canada's history, Arctic foreign policy and Canadian diplomacy has all not included Inuit. We've just been completely excluded from conversations about defense, security, sovereignty, unless we were being used as pawns by the government to assert Arctic sovereignty.

Being able to co-develop this policy with the government of Canada and with other partners has allowed us to have Inuit issues front and center in the text, and also an imagination of the inclusion of Inuit and Inuit self-determination in the implementation of the policy. This is, as I said earlier, a region in the country that represents enormous physical geography, but also a large psychological space in terms of how we think about ourselves as a nation. It's 40% of Canada's landmass. It's more than 70% of the coastline of this country. Tell me more about, in the best-case scenario, what you wanted to see come out of this, and how your organization and other groups helped shape that vision? Well, as you said, not only do we have this

vast geopolitical space, but we also co-manage that space already with the government of Canada and provinces and territories through the implementation of our modern treaties. through the implementation of our modern treaties. So we already are partners in sovereignty, partners in defense, and to see that sort of articulated in clear terms at the federal and the international level is something that we really hope to see. We also are pragmatic about the needs of our communities, and so focus on infrastructure. And we know that with the defense security update earlier in the spring, Minister Blair talked about mixed-use infrastructure and other considerations for innate communities moving forward.

So we know that the foreign policy and the defense policy will interplay with one another. But we also have been talking for a long time about, say, Inuit mobility rights across from Greenland to Canada to Alaska. And in the policy, it talks about those mobility rights and working on trying to ensure that we have greater access to one another across our homeland. We also are going to work in the diplomatic sense, and the opening of the consulates in Anchorage and in

Nuuk, also the recreation of the Arctic Ambassador, will allow for Inuit interests to more naturally be conveyed between countries than what they are today. You say the recreation. Canada used to have an Arctic ambassador position. It was removed in 2006 by the Harper government. Why is recreating that important? Well, first and foremost, the Arctic is a hotspot now from a global perspective, especially with the Russian war in Ukraine. Whether it's research interests that are all coming to the Canadian or the North American Arctic for a focus on research that otherwise would have gone to Russia, or economic development. Also, nefarious actions from other nation states.

Diplomacy is one of the more surefire ways to ensure that we are working as best as we can with our allies. And with such a global focus on the Arctic and the Canadian Arctic, such a global focus on the Arctic and the Canadian Arctic, it just begs the question of why didn't we have an Arctic ambassador now? So it just is logical for it to be reintroduced. What is the message sent when Melanie Jolie says that this job is going to be located in the north, but also occupied by an indigenous person? I think it's a powerful statement that shows the true nature of reconciliation, and in this sense, the practical nature of who is the best person suited to do the job. In Canada's past, maybe it would have been somebody who is interested in the Arctic in

a military sense, or even in an academic or research sense. Maybe there's some states people who just as a hobby like the Arctic, but that's not where we are anymore. And an Indigenous person who has a full understanding and support from Indigenous peoples across the Arctic is best suited to then represent Canada in conversations with other nation states that have an interest in the Arctic, Nordic states, and Denmark and the United States, who both have Inuit populations, and I'm sure would be very pleased to see an Inuk in that role or an Indigenous person. Who's the we in that, when you say that's not where we are anymore?

Well, I always think that Canada is reimagining itself. The idea that Canada is a nation state that has Indigenous peoples who are self-determining, who have self-governance, who have rights under the constitution, who demand a particular place within the consideration of a nation state. Those are all evolving concepts. And when I say we, I mean Canadians, myself as a Canadian. But I also think aspirational in that Canada always can imagine itself into being a better place, whether it be domestically or internationally. We always think that we are a shining light or an example

in some cases about human rights, about Indigenous peoples. But this hasn't necessarily been the case. And for Inuit to be able to see Inuit self-determination and Inuit consideration within a nation-state policy that imagines that we will do international work, global work in partnership with the Canadian government and support the Canadian government and support our own interests at the same time.

This is an evolution of diplomacy. It's a practical consideration in the times that we live, and it's also upholding the central place that Inuit have in upholding Canada's Arctic sovereignty. There is no Arctic sovereignty without Inuit. And I'm pleased to see that that is the foundation for Canada's position in this case. Let me just ask you briefly, we're almost out of time, but one of the ways that you see that disconnect play out is in terms of infrastructure,

housing in the north, particularly in northern communities that have been calling for that infrastructure for a long time. Do you see, I'll go back to your word, that sea change meaning a greater investment in that housing and infrastructure that people have been calling for? Yeah, in our pre-budget submission, ITK's pre-budget submission for 2025, we have $55 billion over 10 years for infrastructure in Nunangat. This isn't the entirety of the amount that we need to have equity in infrastructure and also to have adaptation and mitigation from the worst of climate change that we know is coming. But it is practically what we need. Hopefully, whether it is through research projects that are defense-related with mixed-use infrastructure or just the general infrastructure needs that are being filled across this country,

we can find ways to build that infrastructure. This country isn't built yet. to build that infrastructure. This country isn't built yet. We still have a nation-building project to do, and it is the infrastructure for Canada's Arctic communities. That's a really powerful thing to say, this country isn't built yet. I mean, in some ways it changes, and again, this goes back to what you said earlier, that those down south might have an idea of the north,

but it's distant in some ways. This suggests that this is a real change in how people across this country think about that huge part of the country, that hugely important part of the country. Absolutely. 49 of our 51 communities are only accessible through air and perhaps marine transport in the summer for very short windows of time. Many of our communities have gravel runways. Many of our communities that are marine communities do not have deep sea ports.

We just don't have the basic infrastructure that all other marine communities in this country have or all other communities, period. It's always good to talk to you, Natan Obed. Thank you very much. Happy to talk to you as well. Natan Obed is president of Inuit Tapirit Kanatami. He was in our Ottawa studio. In 2017, it felt like drugs were everywhere in the news. So I started a podcast called On Drugs.

We covered a lot of ground over two seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. seasons, but there are still so many more stories to tell. I'm Jeff Turner, and I'm back with season three of On Drugs. And this time, it's going to get personal. I don't know who Sober Jeff is. I don't even know if I like that guy. On Drugs is available now wherever you get your podcasts. Joining us now is the Deputy Premier of the Northwest Territories, Carolyn Wausnik. Deputy Premier, good morning to you. Good morning. We just heard from Natan Obed about what people in his communities are looking for from this agreement.

What does this announcement mean for the Northwest Territories? I mean, I was listening intently, and I would say I share a lot of the hope. I was listening intently and I would say I share a lot of the hope. At the same time, you know, we are, you know, facing a number of crises on a number of fronts right now. So certainly looking eagerly to see what the next steps of implementation are going to be. You know, I'll dial back a moment to with the last budget that was announced and the announcements around investments in Arctic defense spending, the numbers at that time were not ones that necessarily made sense for the North. So, for example, there was a $218 million announcement for the multi-use infrastructure, Arctic infrastructure for national defense and creating community hubs. That's the vision that

engages communities, which will create safety, will create an opportunity for sovereignty where you're actually having safe, livable, meaningful, engaged communities. But in the North, the costs of everything are much higher for a lot of reasons. Again, there's a complete lack of infrastructure. We have roads, a couple of roads that were built back in the 50s and 60s for a nation building type of engagement and they end. The railway just comes to an end. And that leaves this entire vast expanse of territory underserved in terms of the kinds of infrastructure that I think Southern Canada just takes for

granted in terms of national highways, national railway, and interconnectivity. So we're not on the North American energy grid. We're not connected by road. And that makes us very vulnerable, and all of the Canadians living in the north, very vulnerable to impacts of climate change, but also puts us in a situation where we're looking to say, look, we are now seeing geopolitical threats on our doorstep, and we want to be in a position to be part of this response and not a position of vulnerability. Bill Blair spoke about this, the Minister of National Defence, last week. Have a listen to

what Bill Blair said. It was Northerners who told me it's much more than a military plane flying overhead or a military boat sailing by when the ice is out. What I heard in every place in the Arctic was the same. Invest in infrastructure. Invest in important things like airport runways, highways, deep water ports, power generation, fiber and satellite communications, water treatment, medical treatment. Help us build communities. Help us build prosperity and opportunity in the North. And that's the best way to assert our sovereignty. So have you heard anything specific that would match up to what Bill Blair just said? You know, he was up here quite a lot. I will certainly want to give credit, as was Minister Jolie. And I do think they did take into account much of those, much of what we've been saying, what they've been hearing.

But you're suggesting that you're suggesting the dollar figures, the math doesn't add up. Well, I mean, I guess at this point, I'd like to take the math away at this point. The early math certainly didn't add up. I think the announcement that came out last week was one, as Nathan Obed was saying earlier in the last, you know, and our premier was in Ottawa as well. So this round, this announcement, the foreign policy document is different. I do think this is one that looks differently at where we're at. So when we talk to our own Joint Task Force North based here, they too are saying, look, they see these, they see it changing. And that gives me, if those folks on the inside who are the experts in this space are saying that they seem hopeful and positive, because they're asking for better

telecommunications. They want a road connection to actually link southern Canada to the Arctic coast going through the centre of Canada. Right now, there's exactly one road in all of that 40% of the territory of Canada that's in the north that goes towards the Arctic coast. And it's on the far west end, it's in the Yukon. So we're saying, look, that's not enough. You need to actually expand that territory or that connectivity. I want to talk about those opportunities again in a moment, but there's also a threat and that in part is motivating this strategy. Have a listen again to the Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Jolie. is motivating this strategy.

Have a listen again to the Foreign Affairs Minister, Melanie Jolie. Foreign state actors are increasing their activities in the North and not just on land and sea. We see disinformation and propaganda to undermine our democratic institutions and divide Canadians. We see the targeting of diaspora communities and dissidents, cyber attacks and espionage.

There are Northern communities who tell us about being approached by state actors looking to buy land and exert influence in those remote communities. When she talks about foreign state actors exerting influence, what does that look like in NWT? We have some of the most underexplored critical mineral assets anywhere in the world. And so the real risk that we are seeing is when you have communities that are vulnerable. So we have 33 communities, they're majority Indigenous communities. But we are, again, struggling with basic infrastructure,

lack of connectivity, roads, air, energy. And so when a foreign actor can see the opportunities and the possibilities, and yet at the same time, the costs to explore and to extract mineral resources are much higher in the North. So even if the numbers, sheer numbers in terms of the opportunity makes sense, the ability to extract and to go in and actually make them, bring those to production can often make a delay. Let's just say, we always say production, can often make, you know, a delay. Let's just say, we always say it's delay. We think there's an opportunity here. But for someone who's looking to destabilize the community and destabilize our own friendly value chains, they would see that as a very different opportunity, and that's a real risk.

Let me bring another voice into our conversation to talk further about what's going on and the urgency of what's going on in your communities. Frank Pope is mayor of Norman Wells. It's a town along the Mackenzie River in the Satu region of the Northwest Territories. Mayor Frank Pope, good morning to you. Hi, good morning. It's good to be talking to you. It's good to have you back on the program. We've spoken a few times in recent years about what's going on in your community, particularly when it comes to the reliance on barges in the summer, the ice road in the winter to get everything in and out. And for the second summer in a row, the barges weren't able to make it because of water levels in the

Mackenzie River. What does that mean for people's quality of life in your community? It means an exorbitant cost of living. We knew last fall when the first barges were cancelled there would be no barges this summer. But I believe the government in its own way figured that there was going to be water, there was going to be able to float barges. They were unable to. As a result, the winter road did not bring in sufficient heating fuel to get us to the next winter road season. Therefore, we've been flying in gasoline, heating fuel, aviation fuel by Boeing 737 jet aircraft, and the cost initially when it started was about $5.18 a litre of heating

fuel. Previously, it was about $2, roughly $2 a litre before that. So we got a real beating on that alone, on top of our extreme cost for groceries and regular commodities. We are in a mess up here. So when you hear Bill Blair talk about building prosperity in the North and how this is an essential part of how we think about ourselves as a nation, what specifically do you want from the federal and the territorial government

to make life easier for people in your community? Well, let's go way back on that one. John B. Fagater, our prime minister in the 60s, said he wanted the highway built from the Alberta border to the Beaufort Sea through the Mackenzie Valley, including the South Tooga region. Then the center line for that same highway was cut in 1972 and 73, all the way up to Inuvik. That highway is still out there someplace. We're still waiting to see it. It has not come to any sort of fruition.

And we're told it could take another 10 years if it gets through the environmental assessment, if the GNLVT are able to come up with a business plan to the federal government to pay for it, and the cost is escalating tremendously to get that all-season road in. But that is the only lifeline I see to save us, and it needs to be built in an accelerated fashion, really very quickly and as soon as possible.

Are you optimistic with, I mean, renewed federal eyes on the North? Are you optimistic that that timeline can be sped up? I would hope so. I mean, this whole Arctic policy looked great on paper. 2008, the Conservative Party under Harper had a policy. I don't know if anything came of that at all. This new one looks, as I said,

very good on paper. It sounds great. But we could be going into an election very soon. We could have the Conservative government back in place. Who knows? But are they committed to this policy that was just being announced by Minister Jolie? Or is this going to go on the shelf and gather dust again? I have great lack of faith in the federal government, to be honest with you. Just before I let you go, this is something that you've hinted at before.

If this doesn't work out, what does it mean for the future of a community like Norman Wells? Well, the future for Norman Wells would be let's hope that B.C. gets back into a heavy flood, a lot of snow, and send some water our way through the Athabasca and Peace River systems. If we do not get that and get the barges floating again on the river, then we are going to be flying everything in.

We are not relying that our winter roads can last more than about six weeks every year for heavy traffic, despite the fact that you end up here spending money to upgrade the winter road system to make it last longer. But I just go back to May the 1st, 2019, when it went to 10 above normal wells. We lost our road and we lost an awful lot of our freight being brought in, and again, we had to fly it in. Frank Pope, good to talk to you again. Thank you very much. My pleasure, Mark. Nice to talk to you again. Have a good day. And you, Frank Pope, as the mayor of Norman Wells. Carolyn Walsnick, you've been listening in. Norman Wells declared a state of emergency around the cost of living because of what Frank Pope was

talking about, the road not being available as long as people need it and the barges not being able to float on the river. What's being done to help people there and in the Satya region as well? Yeah, I mean, Norman Wells is sort of the regional hub for several other communities, Toledo, Delaney, Warkapope and Coldwell Lake. These are all indigenous communities up the valley. And so in last, well, we had in 2023, we had 70% of our

population get evacuated and that interrupted our barging season. 24, we lost the full barging season. So all of those communities that rely on the barges, none of them have all season roads. The government of Northwest Territory supplies fuel to the other four communities. And we did get all of our fuel up on the previous winter road, anticipating precisely as Mayor Pope said that we would not have barges. We also, again, the lack of private industry sometimes in these smaller communities means the government in Northwest Territories also runs those barges. So what we've done since, Norman Wells relies on Imperial Oil.

They did not get all of their fuel. And that's what leads to the situation the mayor was describing. So we've introduced a number of different subsidies. We have $1.8 million to help defray the costs on businesses that they would then be passing down. And most recently, we kind of negotiated a couple of things with Imperial Oil. We first of all had them spread out the costs. oil, we first of all had them spread out the costs. So rather than folks getting hit immediately on one fuel bill with a hike that's five times what it was or four and a half times what it was, which for a lot of people, we're talking thousands of dollars extra every time they try to fuel their

tank up to heat their home, we've got them a subsidy negotiated in that brought the cost down by another 75 cents. So we've done a number of things to mitigate these costs. He says this is existential. I mean, if the road's not built, the people will leave. And we've heard this on this program. People will leave the community because they can't survive. It's too expensive to be there. It becomes untenable.

Absolutely. And so he says that the Arctic foreign policy strategy looks good on paper, but has real suspicions as to whether he's right there at the sharp edge of it, whether that's actually going to help people's lives. What would you say to people in those communities who say this sounds great? And yes, there are renewed eyes, particularly from the South on what life is like in the North. But they want to see, you know, as they say, the rubber hit the road? I think that we need to figure out a way to truly recognize the kind of foundational infrastructure as being tied not only to essential resupply for Canadian residents in the north, but also tied to this kind of spending that we're expected to be doing from our NATO partners,

for example, where that right now, as I understand it, the 2 spending that we're expected to be doing from our NATO partners, for example, where that right now, as I understand it, the 2% that we're expected to contribute as a good partner, while spending on an essential transportation corridor won't count towards that, at least so I understand. Now, can we re-examine or re-re-envision what that means so that we can see that kind of significant spend be one that actually connects our communities and actually connects south to north. Because the Mackenzie Valley Highway that the mayor was describing, we are right now, and that's one of my responsibilities, is to see that through to a point where it is being built. And obviously, we have to go through an environmental process and be respectful of that.

So we're sort of dependent on that right now, but we've been asked to optimize that schedule. So that's what we're waiting on. I'm pressing to ensure that there's no further delay, that our government, this government, for us, the 20th Assembly is going to see that to a point where it is a meaningful sea change, I guess, pardon the water pun, but a meaningful change that goes actually up the entire territory. It'll open up the territory and create a transportation corridor.

And I've heard folks say, look, we want to be able to land our jet planes on this highway. It's one of the number of different opportunities that are very much tied to security, to sovereignty, to safety, and also to the long-term sustainability of northern Indigenous communities. People will be watching in that community, but certainly elsewhere as well.

It's good to speak with you about this, and we will come back to this as the strategy comes into clearer focus. Thank you very much. Thank you. Carolyn Wozniak is the Deputy Premier of the Northwest Territories. You can read more about this strategy on our website. Just go to cbcnews.ca. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.