Professor Jennifer Welsh outlines a Canadian agenda for Arctic leadership

Writing in The Globe and Mail (28 January), Jennifer Welsh argues that now is the moment for Canada to leave its mark on Arctic governance.

This June, Canada will take over the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council, an intergovernmental body created in 1996 which includes a core set of Arctic states (Canada, the U.S., Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, and Denmark), as well as six indigenous organizations as permanent participants. At a moment in history when interest in the Arctic has arguably never been greater, Jennifer notes that, [t]he Canadian government would be wise to seize the opportunity of chairmanship to think creatively about the councils role and the future of Arctic governance more generally, particularly given the interest of so many countries (including the Chinese) in the regions resources.

The article can be read in full here.