Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021 37 ARCTIC Northern peoples and the environment that sustains them at local and domestic scales, as well as the implications of rising interna- tional interest in the region. Although non-Arctic observers have traditionally confined their polar interest to scientific research and environmental issues, over the past decade significant internation- al interest and attention has turned to oil, gas and minerals, fisher- ies, shipping and Arctic governance. In turn, this has generated debates amongst Arctic states about non-Arctic states' intentions and their receptiveness to welcoming Asian countries in particular "into the Arctic cold." Thus, while most Canadian analysts now downplay the prob- ability of military and security threats to or in the Canadian Arctic over resources or sovereignty in a direct sense, globalization and growing interest in large-scale development of natural resources mean more activity in the Arctic. This increasing activity means a growing need to understand, monitor and react to activities af- fecting security. NATO's 2017 Strategic Foresight Analysis notes that "the growing number of stakeholders combined with the interconnected nature of the international system, the exponen- tial rate of change and the confluence of trends has continued to increase the potential for disorder and uncertainty in every aspect of world affairs." Accordingly, Canadians must look to more com- prehensive approaches that accept and incorporate complexity and uncertainty. The ANPF observes that "the qualities that make the Canadian Arctic and North such a special place, its size, climate, and small but vibrant and resilient populations, also pose unique security challenges, making it difficult to maintain situational awareness and respond to emergencies or military threats when and where they occur." Climate change compounds these chal- lenges, reshaping the regional environment and, in some contexts and seasons, facilitating greater access to an increasingly "broad range of actors and interests" (both Canadian and international). Accordingly, the ANPF emphasizes that: to protect the safety and security of people in the region and safe- guard the ability to defend the Canadian Arctic and North, and North America now and into the future, a multi-faceted and holistic approach is required. The complexity of the regional secu- rity environment places a premium on collaboration amongst all levels of government, Indigenous peoples and local communities, as well as with trusted international partners. Given the high proportion of Indigenous people (Inuit, First Nations, and Métis) in Canada's Arctic population, as well as Ot- tawa's political focus on improving Indigenous-Crown relations and promoting reconciliation, the Canadian Arctic and North has a much higher political profile than simple population sta- tistics and parliamentary representation numbers might suggest. As the Arctic Human Development Report notes, Indigenous peoples' "efforts to secure self-determination and self-govern- ment are influencing Arctic governance in ways that will have a profound impact on the region and its inhabitants in the years to come." Canadian reports highlight longstanding inequalities in transportation, energy, communications, employment, commu- nity infrastructure, health services, and education that continue to disadvantage Northerners compared to other Canadians. Fur- thermore, poor socio-economic and health indicators also point to significant gaps between Northern Canadian jurisdictions and their southern counterparts, elucidating higher rates of human insecurity in the Canadian Arctic. Accordingly, Canada's defence and security policies and practices align with its broader national strategy for the Canadian Arctic and the Circumpolar North, CNL offers industry R&D capability and capacity across Canada's Key Industrial Capabilities (KIC) including in the areas of advanced materials, cyber resilience, space systems, and clean technology.

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