Notes for an address by
The Honourable Chuck Strahl, PC, MP
Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and
Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians
to the
June 9th Plenary Session
IPY Oslo Science Conference
Norges Varemesse (Norway Trade Fairs)
Lillestrøm, Norway
June 9, 2010
Check against delivery
Thank you for that kind introduction. It is an honour to address such a distinguished audience, including many of the world's leading polar scientists, at such a significant event. I want to thank the Research Council of Norway for organizing this successful conference and for its ongoing contributions to polar science. This conference comes at the end of a very intense two-year examination of every aspect of the polar environment. We've had an active IPY program in Canada, and I look forward to hearing more about the IPY research of other countries.
While we have long recognized that the Earth's ecosystems are interconnected, IPY has deepened our understanding of this relationship. Climate change effects are appearing sooner and more dramatically in the polar regions, and the impacts of these changes will be felt in places far remote from Svalbard (Norway) or McMurdo (Antarctica). These changes need to be tracked in order to mitigate and adapt both in these regions and globally.
It's especially important given where we are today. These changes are affecting the daily lives of more than 4 million people. Natural environments are changing, often leading to shifts in natural resources and food systems. Northerners, particularly indigenous peoples, also face unique health challenges, as well as the pressures associated with economic development. The addition of the human dimension as a research theme in IPY has been a success. IPY has helped to further evolve polar science to include an even greater level of involvement of northern communities in science from the design to the delivery of research programs. Several projects were led by Northern and indigenous organizations, and IPY science results are being used to address practical community issues.
There is no doubt that international collaboration is the key factor behind IPY's success. Tackling such big issues requires many countries working together. Altogether, IPY saw nearly 20,000 scientists from more than 60 countries participating in hundreds of research projects. From oceanographers to glaciologists, ecologist and anthropologists, biologists and meteorologists, archaeologists and health care practitioners – IPY was truly an interdisciplinary endeavour. IPY clearly demonstrates the considerable power of partnerships.
What's more, we have a lot of new knowledge thanks to IPY. We now know more about the polar atmosphere, oceans, ice, land, biota, space and people. Research findings about the atmosphere will increase our understanding of the changes in the earth's climate, for instance. Thanks to IPY, we now know more about all the elements that comprise the polar landscape – from tundra and permafrost to freshwater systems, vegetation and animal populations.
Canada is proud to participate actively in IPY and to sponsor projects that capture the collaborative spirit of IPY. For example, the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study involved more than 600 people including researchers, northerners, students, journalists and artists from 27 countries.
IPY has stimulated curiosity about polar regions; it has captured people's imaginations from around the globe.
Speaking as an elected Member of Parliament and Minister, I must underscore that ultimately, we also want IPY science to influence and improve policy and programs. To develop and implement effective policy, however, necessarily requires the support of citizens. For this reason, everyone involved in IPY – from researchers to policy-makers – must play a role in realizing the potential of IPY.
IPY has played an important role in fostering the next generation of polar scientists. The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists, or APECS, grew out of the IPY Youth Steering Committee which was established to engage youth and young researchers in IPY activities. APECS is an independent organization focused on science and the development of new polar researchers. The presence of over 400 early-career scientists at this conference indicates that polar research has a promising future.
Canada's contribution to the legacy of IPY and to furthering our efforts in polar science includes the establishment of a world-class High Arctic Research Station, as well as investments to bolster our existing research infrastructure. This will ensure that when the world comes to Canada, state-of-the-art facilities will be available to support scientific advancement. Canada is also contributing to the long-term availability of data through sound data management and support for initiatives such as the Sustained Arctic Observing Networks (SAON).
Polar scientific research has clearly entered a new era: one marked by increasingly sophisticated and innovative technologies and projects, and by collaboration across disciplines and international boundaries. The urgency of the issues we face – diminished pack ice, melting glaciers, the spread of invasive species – demands that we continue to follow this approach.
Two years from now, many of us will gather in Montreal, Canada from April 22 to 27 for the IPY “From Knowledge to Action” Conference. This event will help us take another important step – the practical application of IPY research – a step that will have substantial and lasting benefits for countries around the world. The IPY 2012 Conference will be the final event to wrap-up International Polar Year. We are expecting as many as 3,000 science, policy and political delegates from around the world, and I would like to extend a personal invitation to everyone here to attend this important Conference.
IPY is an exceptional undertaking for many reasons: it has inspired practical, policy-relevant research, promoted international collaboration and encouraged the development of new researchers. I call on everyone here to fulfill the promise of this International Polar Year – to continue to work together on these vital endeavours, for the benefit not only of our own nations, but for all mankind.
