Canada and Sweden conclude Arctic cooperation arrangement
News Release
December 11, 2015 - Stockholm, Sweden - Global Affairs Canada
The new Arctic science cooperation arrangement between Canada and Sweden was announced today by the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, on behalf of the Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Minister Duncan discussed the new arrangement when she met with Björn Dahlbäck, Director-General of the Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (SPRS), in Stockholm today.
This new five-year arrangement between Natural Resources Canada and SPRS aims to enhance scientific cooperation in the Arctic through collaborative activities including elements such as marine surveying, exchange of scientific data and promotion of research results. The primary objective of this arrangement is to establish a framework for cooperation between the two countries for collaborative science and innovation activities in the Arctic, and specifically in the Arctic Ocean.
Future activities to be discussed include data gathering in support of Canada’s extended continental shelf submission for the Arctic Ocean.
Canada and Sweden benefit from a long-standing relationship that fosters cooperation. Both are northern countries known for advanced research and innovation, with many shared interests, including in the Arctic. Canada and Sweden also cooperate closely as members of the Arctic Council on important environmental protection, marine safety and sustainable development issues in the region.
Quotes
“Understanding the Arctic matters more now than ever because of global challenges such as climate change. Collaboration with Sweden will help Canada’s scientists collect data to better understand northern ecosystems, which in turn will help us develop more effective evidence-based policies to protect our polar regions.”
- The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science
“Canada and Sweden are strong partners in the Arctic. This new collaboration is a reflection of our shared interest in enhancing Arctic research and knowledge in this time of unprecedented change in the region.”
- The Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Marine geoscience research is crucial to enhancing our understanding of the Arctic. Our government is committed to making decisions based on science, facts and evidence, and I look forward to the results of this collaboration between our two countries as we continue to advance the scientific work to acquire the necessary data to determine the limits of Canada’s extended continental shelf.”
- The Honourable James Gordon Carr, Minister of Natural Resources
“International collaboration is key to broaden our scientific understanding of the Arctic and to acquire new scientific data to better inform our decisions. I am proud of the important work by experts at Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and our significant contributions to marine safety, environmental protection, and fisheries and oceans management in the Arctic.”
- The Honourable Hunter Tootoo, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Quick facts
- This arrangement is further to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Science and Technology Cooperation signed between Canada and Sweden in 2010.
- As founding members of the Arctic Council, both Canada and Sweden collaborate to promote circumpolar cooperation in the Arctic region within the context of the Council, which Sweden chaired during 2011–2013, just ahead of Canada during 2013–2015.
- Minister Duncan is in Sweden to accompany Art McDonald of Queen’s University, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Takaaki Kajita of the University of Tokyo.
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Hon. Stéphane Dion Hon. Kirsty Duncan Hon. James Gordon Carr Hon. Hunter Tootoo Global Affairs Canada Science and Technology
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