“As someone who was born and raised in the Arctic, who has many family and friends currently living in the north, I am deeply aware of how our culture and social and economic work is tied to our living environment,” said Canadian Minister of Health Leona Aglukkaq.
Aglukkaq spoke at the Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Kiruna, Sweden on Wednesday after taking over leadership of the council from Swedish foreign affairs minister Carl Bildt.
Though chairs of the Arctic Council are often foreign ministers of the Arctic nations, Aglukkaq was chosen for the role because of her unique connection to the north. She is Canada’s first Inuk cabinet minister and represents the northern Canadian territory of Nunavut in the country’s federal government.
“In my lifetime the north has undergone monumental transformation and these transformations what first conspired me many years ago to run for office and I wanted to influence the course of change to ensure that change would benefit Inuit and northerners,” she said. “The time has come to embrace the Arctic and realize the tremendous potential and opportunities it has to offer all of us.”
At the meeting Aglukkaq also introduced her new theme for the chairmanship: development for the people of the north. Under this focus, she said she will develop a Circumpolar Business Forum so that businesses and governments can talk together about the best ways to pursue development in the north.
“I very much welcome the focus that Leona and Canada are coming into the chairmanship with – sustainable development, opening up opportunities,” said Espen Barth Eide, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs, during the meeting.
However, Eide’s view is not held by all and the Sami have raised concerns that increased focus on northern development will hurt traditional reindeer herding practices.
“We are somewhat concerned about the increased focus on business and industrial development – we have to be very careful in order to conduct the cooperation with the business the right way,” said Áile Javo, President of the Sami Council, during the meeting.
But Aglukkaq was clear that plans for development should not harm the traditions of the Arctic’s indigenous people.
“This development must be done in a responsible, environmental sustainable manner so that the land, the water and the animals that many northern people still depend upon are not negatively impacted,” she said in her meeting.
