Thank you.
Generally speaking, the 20th century approach to protected area creation has not provided an essential role to the indigenous people who are most intimately acquainted with many of these places. In traditional models, the general Canadian public has been the main audience, and programs are geared at educating and engaging visitors. In the north, however, Inuit maintain a fundamental and uninterrupted relationship with these natural areas.
We have heard that the Arctic is not a park. This notion reflects the idea that parks are perceived as places separate from people, where nature is to be preserved and undisturbed, but people in the north, in particular, are part of that nature and those places. Northern MPAs should reflect that and should strive to reset this model and to primarily serve the communities that use, manage, and protect them. These protected areas should be integrated into many aspects of community life and should serve as a tool and platform for broader local investments. We see the task of establishing a network of marine protected areas in the Arctic as both an historic opportunity and a heavy responsibility.
That said, we could not be more enthusiastic about the recent bold steps toward this goal. We are encouraged by the actions thus far and believe it is not overdramatizing to say that we are at a crossroads with respect to Canada's relationship with the Arctic and Inuit. We are headed in the right direction. The question is whether we have the imagination and political will—“will” generally is probably a better term—to move forward in a meaningful way.
Thank you very much.