Canada to Host Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Iqaluit

News Release

April 22, 2015 - Iqaluit, Nunavut - Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, will welcome international delegations to Iqaluit for the Ninth Arctic Council Ministerial meeting on April 24 and 25, 2015.

As chair of the Arctic Council, Minister Aglukkaq will host the meeting. She will be joined by Arctic state ministers and leaders of the Council’s Indigenous Permanent Participant organizations.

Before the meeting concludes, Arctic Council ministers are expected to adopt the 2015 Iqaluit Declaration, highlighting the accomplishments of the past two years and setting the stage for the incoming U.S. chairmanship.

Quick Facts

The Ottawa Declaration established the Arctic Council in 1996. Its first ministerial meeting was held in Iqaluit in 1998, at the end of Canada’s first chairmanship. Seventeen years later, Canada is again hosting Arctic Council ministers in Iqaluit.
The theme of Canada’s chairmanship, Development for the People of the North, was established after Minister Aglukkaq toured Canada’s territories in 2012 and consulted directly with Northerners to ensure that their input was reflected in Canada’s priorities at the Arctic Council. Canada’s focus in the North remains our Arctic sovereignty and the development of Northern communities—two priorities that benefit all Canadians.
A key priority of Canada’s chairmanship has been to promote and incorporate traditional knowledge more effectively into the Council’s ongoing work. This knowledge, which has helped Indigenous peoples survive for millennia, can serve in the development of better, more representative policies for the North.
The creation of the Arctic Economic Council (AEC), an independent body made up of business representatives, was a key priority during Canada’s chairmanship. The AEC is facilitating Arctic-to-Arctic business opportunities, trade and investment in the North, which will ultimately benefit Northern families and communities, and all Canadians.
Under Canada’s chairmanship, the Arctic Council has also advanced important environmental priorities for the North, including developing a framework to reduce black carbon and methane emissions and a new action plan to enhance initiatives for the prevention of oil pollution.
During Canada’s chairmanship, 35 Council meetings took place in the Canadian North to showcase Canada’s vibrant Arctic region.
The Arctic Council is the leading body for international cooperation in the Arctic region and promotes the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development in the Arctic.
The Council is made up of the eight Arctic states—Canada (current chair), Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and the United States (incoming chair)—and six Permanent Participant organizations representing the Indigenous peoples of the North.

Quotes

“Canada has put Northerners at the forefront of the Arctic Council’s agenda. During our chairmanship, we have taken action to improve the lives of Northerners by enhancing sustainable economic development, promoting mental wellness and charting a course to ensure that the traditional and local knowledge of Arctic communities is used more consistently in the work of the Council.”

- Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council

“Our government recognizes the full potential of the Arctic. We are committed to supporting Northern development to create jobs and secure economic opportunities for this generation and the next. Through Canada’s chairmanship, our government is leading the way to promote the values and interests of Canadians on the international stage.”

- Rob Nicholson, Minister of Foreign Affairs

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Canada to Host Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Iqaluit

News Release

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