Foreign Affairs committee  You're referring to the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North, commonly known as RAIPON. Their constitution apparently conflicted with Russia's and they were required to make an amendment to their constitution to comply with the country's constitution. In that ca

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you. Just so you know I'm at the far end of the country, the far northwest. It's a balmy minus 49 with the wind chill factor today.

Foreign Affairs committee  I can't speak for first nations. The first nations will have to speak through an associate. I know Mr. Paddon. He sits on the ArcticNet board along with me. Tom has lived and worked in the Arctic for many years. I think he has a better understanding than other companies on the

Foreign Affairs committee  That's fine, sir.

Foreign Affairs committee  As I mentioned, along with other experts from the respective regions of Alaska, Greenland, Canada, and Chukotka, I'm bringing Inuit expertise together in Ottawa to have a dialogue regarding the Arctic: changing climate conditions, the ice conditions, and how sustainable communiti

Foreign Affairs committee  Thank you for that opportunity. I have also sent a report, “The Sea Ice is Our Highway”, to the staff there so they can provide a copy of that to you. That is the first part of this project. What I'm undertaking now is a broader approach. The first report was conducted strictly

Foreign Affairs committee  They're all part and parcel, these things. It's not just one issue or one subject; they're all cumulative. The Arctic Council is trying to raise that awareness. There's ocean acidification as well, and that's a key issue. There's going to be a big report from the Arctic Council r

Foreign Affairs committee  It's not only that one project. There are other activities, like mining, within the other parts of Canada's Arctic. Keep in mind that it's 40% of Canada's land mass. In my backyard there's one island that's the size of France. Yes, there is a need. The vast majority of the popu

Foreign Affairs committee  To some degree, Canada is. We have been working with Canada. Canada is overseas as we speak, along with many other Inuit organizations, in Thailand right now in regard to the CITES convention which is under way at this time. We're working together to try to lobby the various coun

Foreign Affairs committee  No, it hasn't. That's part of the discussions and deliberations that are taking place in regard to the revised criteria for observers and the Arctic states themselves. As I said, there is no actual understanding or commitment of the Arctic states to provide financial support for

Foreign Affairs committee  As I said earlier, there has been quite an increase in the activities within the working groups of the Arctic Council. Those are the tasks undertaken within the working groups and approved by the Arctic Council itself. Also, there are increased attention, awareness, and activitie

Foreign Affairs committee  Okay, I'll try to be very brief. The EU itself is not a country and it's not a state. It's a group. They do have their own policies in place that actually conflict with not only our culture but the sustainable practices that Canada signed onto as well. But again, all we can do a

Foreign Affairs committee  I don't recall saying “development”, but what I was saying is that the Arctic Council has signed on to a process that reflects and recognizes the eight Arctic states' domestic practices. The EU has put a ban in place, even though it doesn't reflect the need to protect seals in th

Foreign Affairs committee  As I stated earlier, there are more polar bears on this earth now than ever before. It's part of the management practices that not only Canada but the Inuit organizations have agreed to within their modern-day treaties for sustainable use and management. Canada has also signed on

Foreign Affairs committee  Well, I would hope so, especially within this short timeframe, because not only Canada but North America.... The United States will be the chair right after Canada, so the Inuit Circumpolar Council takes the view that North America will also be dealing with this issue over the ne