Northern summits tackle Arctic sovereignty, environment

Two separate summits underway this week in northern Canada are bringing people together to talk about changes in the Arctic, touching on topics from sovereignty to climate change.

Inuit leaders from Canada, the United States and Greenland are meeting Thursday in Kuujjuaq, Que., for the first-ever Inuit summit on Arctic sovereignty, an event organized by the Inuit Circumpolar Conference.

Groups like Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) say Inuit do not feel threatened by renewed international interest in the Arctic by both governments and the private sector but they also demand to be included in decisions that affect the North.

"We have a right to be participating in these discussions related to Arctic sovereignty, whether it be for the development of mineral resources or whether it is to help make sure that our communities are healthy and sustainable," ITK president Mary Simon told CBC News on Wednesday.

"That is the way that Canada has asserted its sovereignty, by Inuit presence in the Arctic."

A declaration outlining Inuit rights in the Arctic is expected to be signed on Friday.

Arctic sovereignty is also being discussed, along with climate change and other issues, ata security meeting hosted by the Canadian Forces' northernbase in Yellowknife. The meeting is held twice a year in the N.W.T. capital.

Government and aboriginal representatives at the security meeting, which began Wednesday, are discussing how growth in mineral exploration, shipping traffic and industrial development are changing the Arctic.

"We know things are changing, particularly in the context of a growing interest of the outside world [in] things Arctic," said Rob Huebert, an Arctic sovereignty expert and associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

"Every time they do something silly, like planting a flag at the North Pole, it's a very good way of convincing our politicians that in fact this has to be examined," he added, referring to Russia's attempt last year to claim the North Pole by planting a flag there.

Delegates at the Yellowknife meeting are also concerned with climate change, especially as it affects aboriginal people's ability to hunt and gather traditional foods.

"With the environment changing so quickly, it's difficult to tell from year to year whether that food will be there or not," said Vuntut Gwich'in Chief Joe Linklater from Old Crow, Yukon, who also chairs the aboriginal organization Gwich'in Council International.

Linklater said the changing Arctic environment is causing a great deal of uncertainty and stress for elders and youth in the region. He added that he hopes northern communities will be involved in strategies developed to meet present and future challenges.

The Yellowknife meeting wraps up on Friday.