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Thank you. As Premier of the Northwest Territories and as someone born and raised in the North, I am pleased to be here today to present a Northern perspective on Canada’s term as Chair of the Arctic Council.

On September 9th of this year the governments of Canada and Nunavut announced that they had found the final resting place of one of the ships of the ill-fated Franklin expedition. Lost 168 years ago, the fate of Sir John Franklin and his men has been a mystery which has captured imaginations around the world ever since.

I open with this fact because I think the story of Sir John Franklin and the many narratives that have collected around it over the years, point to a number of themes that are useful for our discussion today.

The first point I would like to make is that international interest in the Arctic is not new. Sir John Franklin was just one of many European explorers that began visiting the Arctic almost 450 years ago when Martin Frobisher made his first voyage in search of the Northwest Passage in 1576.

The intervening years have seen an almost unbroken stream of explorers come North. Their perceptions of the North played a powerful role in shaping the official history and outside understanding of our region and its place in the world.

While the Arctic seems remote and inaccessible, we have connections to the rest of the world that go back hundreds of years. From our earliest contact, the Aboriginal peoples of the North have known and greeted visitors from many parts of the world.

Far from being isolated and remote, our region has been an important part of the world economy for centuries now. Early on, visitors to our region recognized the economic potential in our abundant natural resources. Initial contact quickly developed into active trading relationships that saw Europeans regularly travelling into the North, living and trading among our people. Northern resources, especially furs, helped to fuel economic growth in Europe, creating wealth and prosperity for its peoples.

While interest in the Arctic is nothing new, what is new is some of the countries that are starting to look towards us. More and more, countries with no previously articulated interest in the Arctic are starting to pay attention to what is going on in the North. The list of observer nations at the Arctic Council continues to grow. Even transnational organizations are getting in on the act.

Added to the increasing interest from nation-states and government bodies is growing private interest from non-governmental organizations, lobby groups, business and industry pursuing their own diverse and varied agendas.

As interests multiply and their implications for the Arctic grow more complicated, the need to coordinate and reconcile them becomes ever more important. At the same time, we need to ensure that they do not clash with legitimate interests of the people who make the Arctic their home.

That raises the stakes for bodies like the Arctic Council and demands new levels of cooperation and leadership, leadership like the kind Canada has demonstrated during its term as Chair of the Council.

The second point I want to make in connection with the Franklin expedition is that there has always been a profound economic interest in the Arctic. Franklin, and many explorers before and after him, were motivated by the search for the Northwest Passage, a shorter and quicker route from Europe to the resources and markets of Asia.

While the transportation potential of the Arctic Ocean was being explored, so was the resource and economic potential of the region. Again, this dates back centuries; Martin Frobisher was so convinced he had found gold on Baffin Island that he made a second voyage and recovered 200 tons of ore that he took back to England.

While there was not gold on Baffin Island, there is gold – and other minerals – in the Arctic, but it required modern technology and transportation to make mining it economical. That did not mean there was not money to be made in the North, however. Whaling and fishing off Northern shores have figured as major economic activities.

Any story about Canada has to consider the fur trade, much of it centred around the North. From our earliest days, fur has made our country an integral part of the global economy. European traders and explorers lived and traded with our First Nations, creating relationships between our peoples that continue to this day.

While the basis for trade and economic activity in the north has shifted away from the sectors that first brought Europeans to Northern shores, there is still substantial economic potential in our region.

Canada has been the envy of the industrialized world for several years for its relative economic performance. What has been the basis – the foundation – of that strength? Natural resources. In particular, energy and minerals, and much of it in the North.

Royalties from mining and oil and gas extraction are paying for daycares, hospitals and schools in the South. They are maintaining employment and generating prosperity across Canada, as an increasingly mobile labour force finds opportunities – and well-paying jobs – in Northern communities.

Never before do I recall such a time of potential and future prosperity facing the people of our territory.

We have, in the North, what the world wants – what emerging markets need.

To speak of just the Northwest Territories alone, we are the third largest diamond producer in the world. In fact, diamonds account for almost a quarter of our territory’s GDP. We already export $2 billion annually in diamonds alone. We have three of Canada’s diamond mines right there in the Northwest Territories, and a fourth one about to be constructed. Our product is recognized as being of the highest quality, and conflict-free.

We have gold. We have silver. We have bismuth. Rare earth metals. Cobalt. Lead. Zinc. The vast majority of our mineral reserves are not even being mined. There is so much potential.

Energy – we are blessed with an abundance that far exceeds our needs and even capacity to extract on our own. Our territory is also sitting atop 81.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, with significant plays in all regions.

We have seven billion known barrels of oil. Production is underway in Norman Wells and in the Cameron Hills. The prospects for more production are real, and require only the capital investment and infrastructure to realize them.

The potential undiscovered nearshore reserves in the Mackenzie River Delta include an additional 10.5 billion barrels of oil, 87 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 4 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. We also have gas hydrate in the Beaufort Sea.

As I consider the opportunities and strengths around us, I cannot but conclude that the Twenty-First Century belongs to the North!

I am also convinced that we will see – in our lifetime – regular shipping through Arctic waters that had previously remained too seasonal or ice-locked for predictable navigation. Climactic changes around us are obviously presenting challenges and we are sensitive to that. We have great respect for our land and environment in the North and are committed to their protection. But we are also committed to the economic development of our territory and the social development this will bring. New transportation routes will create new economic opportunities that we will learn to use to our benefit, responsibly and sustainably.

The challenges we face in turning this potential into real prosperity for the people of the Arctic while continuing to conserve our environment is one that all Arctic nations face. Bodies like the Arctic Council provide an important forum for addressing those similar, and sometimes shared, challenges, and I expect it will continue to play an important role in years to come.

The third and final point I would like to make in connection with the Sir John Franklin story is that the voices of the people who call the Arctic home matter.

The success of the Canadian search for the final resting place of Franklin’s ship was due in no small part to information preserved in the Inuit oral tradition.

Searches for the Franklin expedition began almost as soon as it became clear that it had been lost, the first one coming in 1848. A Canadian team, armed with knowledge handed down by generations of Inuit was finally successful in locating the remains of one ship in an area that oral tradition had identified.

The role of Inuit testimony in the successful search for Franklin’s ship is a useful reminder that the Arctic is more than a remote and mostly empty region, mostly noted for its unique environmental and ecological values. The Arctic is also home to more than four million people living in the eight countries that make up the Council.

While my government is a staunch defender of the need to protect and conserve the environment and respectfully use and manage wildlife, we must not forget the human element.

Humans have been and continue to be part of the fabric of the Arctic world and the Arctic story. Indigenous people have made the Arctic their home for generations. They have lived close to the land, depending on it for their material, social and spiritual wellbeing. They know the Arctic, and they know what it takes to live there.

This is a reality that must be recognized by all states and organizations with an interest in the Arctic. Any decisions about the Arctic must recognize this human dimension and must take into account the interests and the wishes of the people who call the Arctic home.

For the people of the North, it is a fundamental matter of respect. The North is our home and our heritage, we must have a leading voice in decision making and we must benefit from the activities that take place there. We are not content to simply sit on the sidelines while national and multinational interests play out around us.

Recognizing and respecting this human dimension has been a priority of Prime Minister Harper and his government’s northern strategy for many years and my government has always appreciated his interest in and support for the North and the people who live there.

Canada’s support for the North has translated into domestic initiatives aimed at creating a region where self-reliant individuals are able to live in healthy, vital communities, manage their own affairs and shape their own destinies.

It is this same focus on the people of the Arctic, on listening to their interests and supporting their aspirations, that has been perhaps the most significant feature of Canada’s term as Chair of the Arctic Council.

The Prime Minister sent a strong, positive signal that Canada was serious about giving Northerners a voice on the international stage when he named Minister Leona Aglukkaq as his choice for Chair of the Arctic Council. In making that appointment, Prime Minister Harper made Canada the first nation to name an indigenous Northerner to the Chairmanship.

Minister Aglukkaq is an Inuk who was born in and still lives in the Arctic. She knows and understands both the challenges and opportunities the Arctic and its people face in a real and practical way.

I cannot stress enough how important this is. Her interest is not theoretical or abstract, it is concrete and direct. It is based on her own experience as a Northerner and grounded in the history and traditions of her people, who have called the Arctic their home for generations.

Nobody knows better than Northern leaders the challenges our people face today. We want to see our people thrive and succeed, to participate in and benefit from the economic development opportunities that abound in our region. At the same time, we want to preserve and protect the culture and traditions that have nurtured our people for generations and been a critical source of personal and collective identity, and that includes protecting and conserving the land, water and wildlife that our people have depended on for centuries.

Striking that balance between past and future, traditional ways and modern opportunities, is a challenge that Northern leaders like myself, Minister Aglukkaq and Premier Taptuna face every day. That brings a different kind of focus and discipline to our thinking, one that puts the people of the North first.

It is a perspective that can, and should, inform the Arctic Council and which helps to provide balance to the many other competing interests expressed there.

When Minister Aglukkaq first took on her role as Chair of the Arctic Council, she noted that the Council was formed by Northerners, for Northerners, long before the region was of interest to the rest of the world. The world is different now, and as international interest in the Arctic grows, it is imperative that that focus on Northerners is preserved, that our voices and our interests are heard above the clamour.

That is why my government welcomes and supports Canada’s theme for its Chairmanship of the Arctic Council: development for the people of the North, with a focus on responsible Arctic resource development, safe Arctic shipping and sustainable circumpolar communities. As Northerners, we very much appreciate the fact that Canada has placed the well-being and prosperity of people living in the North at the forefront of the Arctic Council’s priorities. We have also been pleased that Canada has made it a priority to engage with the three territorial governments of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut to help inform its Arctic Council program.

One of Canada’s Arctic Council initiatives that the Government of the Northwest Territories was pleased to support and participate in was promoting traditional ways of life.

Traditional activities are both a source of income and a way of life for the Aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories. About 40 percent of Northwest Territories residents over the age of 15 continue to spend some time participating in traditional harvesting like trapping, fishing or hunting. Northern artisans and craftspeople still practice traditional arts like creating moose hair tufting, carving and creating birch bark baskets.

Traditional activities are part of what makes our people who they are and it is important that we support and preserve it. The transfer of these skills ensures that this history and these values are sustained, and important social and cultural links are maintained and contributes to ongoing self-sufficiency.

Through this initiative to promote traditional ways of life, Canada, Finland and the Gwich’in International Council have been co-leading the creation of a compendium of best practices. These will highlight unique, successful approaches taken by Arctic States, Permanent Participants, accredited Observers, Northern communities and regions in promoting traditional ways of life. Best practices may range from community level to international in scope and a communication strategy will be developed to ensure the compendium is shared.

Our government was pleased to contribute two pieces to the compendium, our Traditional Knowledge Policy and our Take a Kid Trapping/Harvesting program.

The Traditional Knowledge Policy formally recognizes that the Aboriginal peoples of the Northwest Territories have acquired a vast store of traditional knowledge through their experience of centuries of living in close harmony with the land. Our government recognizes that Aboriginal knowledge is a valid and essential source of information about the natural environment and its resources, the use of natural resources and the relationship of people to the land and to each other.

It has been instrumental in ensuring government programs and policies are suitable and appropriate to the people they serve and continue to support Aboriginal identity and Aboriginal ways of life.

The Take a Kid Trapping Programis designed to introduce youth in the Northwest Territories to the traditional harvesting practices of hunting, trapping, fishing and outdoor survival. The Program was developed in 2002 out of concern that the average age of a trapper/harvester was 60; it was believed that the survival of traditional harvesting practices would be threatened if more youth were not encouraged to participate.

Take a Kid Trapping is now complemented by a sister harvesting program that focuses on passing on traditional agricultural practices.

The other initiative that our government was particularly pleased to see Canada promoting as part of its Arctic Council program was the creation of the Arctic Economic Council. For us, human development and economic development go hand in hand. We need a strong and diversified economy in the North that gives our people the means to support themselves and their families and contributes the revenues government needs to provide programs and services across the territory. People need an opportunity to succeed and a thriving economy will give them that opportunity.

For years, though, the North has faced serious challenges in realizing its full economic potential. Some of that is due to our small populations. We lack the economies of scale that support development in other regions, we have to few people to supply the human resources needed for major projects and we lack the capital needed to support development on any significant scale.

At the same time, we are challenged by the geographical size and remoteness of our region and our harsher climate. Unlike southern jurisdictions, the North lacks the access and infrastructure that are critical to economic development. Although there is demand for Northern resources, we lack the roads, ports and shipping routes that we need to get our products to market.

It is our Northern irony that, in spite of the rich mineral and energy wealth of the region, we still face huge challenges. Our resources are going undeveloped and our people are still faced with unemployment, poverty, housing and infrastructure challenges and high cost of living.

We need to create opportunities for our people to succeed and creating a strong, stable and diversified economy is one of the ways we will do that. Economic development and social development go hand-in-hand. We must develop our economy if we are to develop socially and give our people the opportunity to achieve their aspirations and potential. That will mean development of our natural resources, but it does not mean development at any cost.

Development of our resources has the potential to improve the lives of our residents, but it must be managed properly. Development must be sustainable. It must be consistent with our Northern priorities and values. And development must be managed by Northerners for Northerners.

The new Arctic Economic Council will meet the dual needs of promoting responsible, sustainable development in the North and ensuring that Northern needs and interests are fully represented.

The Arctic Economic Council will help facilitate business opportunities, trade and investment by allowing governments, businesses and stakeholders to share their experience and knowledge in the best interests of Northerners. Businesses already successfully operating in the Arctic will be able to share best practices and technological solutions through the business-to-business network established by the Arctic Economic Council.

The Arctic Economic Council also reflects a basic principle which I have spoken about many times before, partnership is an essential part of doing business in the North. As a small and isolated region, Northerners learned long ago the value of relying on each other and working together to achieve common goals and interests.

Sustainable, responsible development of Northern resources could create untold wealth not just for Northerners, but for many countries and businesses. Northern energy resources could help to fuel economic development around the globe, contributing to a new era of shared prosperity.

I believe that the Arctic Economic Council will be a critical vehicle for creating the kind of productive partnerships that we need to help the North realize its full potential while ensuring that Northern interests and perspectives are respected.

The arrival of Europeans in the Arctic almost 450 years ago led to the growth of trade and exploration and created the first international relationships between the people of what is now Canada and the rest of the world.

As a result of globalization, there is now more than ever increased attention, trade, exploration and migration into the Arctic, all with the potential to positively and negatively affect traditional Aboriginal ways of life.

But in this time of accelerated social, economic and cultural change, the Aboriginal people of the Northwest Territories and the circumpolar world continue to demonstrate resilience and an ability to adapt.

We must continue to support the ongoing development of the North, while preserving and protecting the traditions that have supported us for generations. We must continue to focus on the human dimension of the Arctic, even as we continue to devote ourselves to protecting the unique environment and ecosystem of the region and developing its resources responsibly and sustainably.

I am confident that Minister Aglukkaq will continue to demonstrate vision and leadership in the remaining months of her term and look forward to further successes from her.

I also look forward to the coming Chairmanship of the United States, and call on it to continue the good work done by Canada in putting the interests of the people who live in the Arctic at the forefront of its program for the Arctic Council.

Thank you.