Thank you.
Thank you to our witness for getting up early and for providing us with some context as to our study on the Arctic.
I want to just take a minute. You had mentioned a couple of documents: “A Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic”, and also on resource and development principles.
If I may, I'll start with the “Circumpolar Inuit Declaration on Sovereignty in the Arctic”, which you signed onto. I was really impressed with the thoroughness of the document and the perspective. Often when we hear of sovereignty, some people have a certain view of what sovereignty means, certainly here in the south, and I would be interested in your comments about it in the north. In particular, in the document, 3.2 reads:
The actions of Arctic peoples and states, the interactions between them, and the conduct of international relations must give primary respect to the need for global environmental security, the need for peaceful resolution of disputes, and the inextricable linkages between issues of sovereignty and sovereign rights in the Arctic and issues of self-determination.
There is another component of this declaration that I think is important, and it is that there is a pressing need for enhanced international exchange and cooperation in relation to the Arctic.
We're studying the Arctic because, as you know, Canada is taking over the chair of the Arctic Council. Where you had defined sovereignty, you really have put an emphasis on a multilateral approach as it relates to people. Taking from the declaration you have here, I wonder if you can give us some specific things that you think we should be putting on the agenda, as chair of the Arctic Council, as it relates to your declaration.