Notes for an address

by
The Honourable Jim Prentice, PC, QC, MP
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and
Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians

to launch
International Polar Year 2007-2008

March 1, 2007
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Gatineau, Quebec

Check against delivery

It is a great pleasure for me to be here to celebrate the Canadian launch of International Polar Year 2007-2008.

Canada is very proud to take a leadership role in this International Polar Year. It is the largest ever international program of coordinated scientific research and observations focused on the polar regions, involving more that 60 countries and thousands of scientists. In Canada, we have developed an ambitious program that will give Canadians from all parts of the country valuable opportunities to learn more about the North and its residents.

International Polar Years are characterized by a spirit of discovery and hope. In the words of Will Steger, US head of the 1986 polar expedition that travelled to the North Pole from Ellesmere Island by dogsled,

“As we, six adventurers from different parts of the world, stand where the lines of longitude of all countries meet, we believe this journey stands for hope — hope that other seemingly impossible goals can be met by people everywhere.”

International Polar Year 2007-2008 is an historic event. Canada played a leading part in ensuring that it would be the first to focus on the human dimension of polar science activity; and it is the first such event to place the people of the Arctic at the centre of the initiative.

Canada’s New Government is also pleased to commit $150 million dollars towards a strong and innovative program in support of Canadian involvement and participation in this major international event.

That Canada should make such a significant commitment is entirely appropriate. We are a polar nation; and we know that what happens in the North has real implications not only for Canada, but for the whole World.

We also know that the North is not a barren land, as it is too often portrayed. It is teaming with life; with rich, but fragile ecosystems; and with people who have demonstrated incredible resilience, innovation, and who bring a wealth of traditional knowledge. It is also a land of tremendous opportunity, of largely untapped natural resources and of great economic potential.

Canada has a responsibility not only to protect this legacy, but to contribute to global efforts to expand our knowledge of the polar regions.

International Polar Year has a long and distinguished history. In each of its three earlier occurrences — in 1882-83, 1932-33 and again in 1957-58 — multinational teams joined forces to extend the frontiers of science and to widen our understanding of the many phenomena that influence global systems. Thanks to these efforts, the world discovered everything from the scientific underpinnings of the aurora borealis to continental drift.

For example, in the late 19th Century, scientists first identified the jet stream and began to understand its implications for global weather. Meteorological data from that period provides a record of Arctic weather patterns prior to today’s era of climate change, enabling us to track patterns and trends over time.

The 1930s’ expeditions led to scientific breakthroughs in meteorology, magnetism, and atmospheric science.

Now, we have the privilege of being the next generation to carry on this proud tradition, and to build on this great legacy of scientific achievement and its innumerable benefits for humanity.

The current International Polar Year presents an important opportunity for Canada to collaborate with other nations, and generate valuable information that can be used to protect our environment and to ensure the health and well-being of Canadians living in the North.

A critical component of this undertaking will be the inclusion of traditional knowledge in these projects. We recognize that Elders and other knowledge-keepers are in a position to make a crucial contribution to the design and management of Northern research, and so researchers have been encouraged to integrate both Western science and traditional knowledge into their projects.

Canada has compelling reasons to play a prominent role in International Polar Year.

Much of the northern circumpolar region is Canadian territory. Dynamic Northern science is indispensable to our commitment to extend national security to all our territory. International recognition of Canadian scientific expertise and leadership in Canada’s sovereign North affirms the importance of this region to Canada.

This Government also recognizes the effect that climate change will have on all nations. So it is particularly appropriate that climate change and adaption is one of the key themes of this International Polar Year.

Many Canadians have already encountered the effects of climate change. Northern residents have witnessed changes to the weather systems that are already impacting local communities and their ways of life. The new knowledge that will be uncovered by Canadian and international scientists is expected to bring economic, environmental and health benefits to Canadians in the North and across the country.

Projects addressing this question include an examination of the impact of climate change on Tundra wildlife, and on the forests and peatlands of the Mackenzie Valley; an assessment of the vulnerability of communities across the Arctic to changing environmental conditions; and the effects of global warming on polar bears, seals and whales.

The health and well-being of Northerners is the other main field of investigation for Canadian research projects. To take only a couple of examples, these projects will include a survey of Inuit health, which will provide opportunities for improving our understanding of the changes that are occurring and how they affect the health and well-being of Inuit. Another project examines the impacts of global change on caribou, and their link to human communities.

I don’t believe we can overstate the human dimension of this International Polar Year. Not only will research projects cover issues concerning the well-being of Northerners, but Northerners themselves will be involved in every facet of this initiative.

Northern residents will be engaged not only as participants and leaders in the planning and implementation of science and research activities, but also in the delivery of the projects and in the specialized training and communications activities needed to support them.

Looking to the future, International Polar Year also has a real potential to stimulate significant long-term prosperity for Northern communities. Its various science and research projects can be expected to provide opportunities to develop a broad range of new skills development, to introduce new technologies, and to open up new economic opportunities.

International Polar Year 2007-2008 will be a remarkable time - for Northerners, indeed for all Canadians, and for the world. This historic initiative will bring us together - in a spirit of cooperation, of partnership, and of mutual good will that will benefit us all. And the world we all share will be the better for it.

Thank you.

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