Foreign Affairs Committee on Dec. 11th, 2012

[Dr. Karen Barnes]

I've never said that it wasn't important. What I said was that with limited resources I would prefer to build our colleges to provide better and more options for students in the north. However, what I've always said is that the value of UArctic is the network of professionals and academics across the circumpolar north, and I still support that strongly.

[Dennis Bevington, NDP, Western Arctic, NT]

Wouldn't you say, though, that the UArctic model is the better place to share experiences on northern education than the Arctic Council, which has to deal with so many international issues surrounding the opening of the Arctic Ocean—primarily environmental issues and issues surrounding the movement of ships and the opening of a new fishery in the world? These are things that have no other home in which to be discussed—none at all—as previous people have mentioned. By focusing on something where you have other international bodies that are already established to provide that connection, wouldn't you think that is a formula for not getting things done that we really need to do on an international basis?

We don't have much time. The Arctic Ocean is opening up very quickly. Climate change is making a huge difference, not only to the north but through southern Canada and the rest of the world. We need to focus on those international issues.

Could you not see a better way to deal with education internationally through the existing structures that have been established?

[Dr. Karen Barnes]

I would say that it's not an either/or situation. To me, the value of the University of the Arctic is that it does connect the learning and research that is happening across the north. That informs the Arctic Council, where parliamentarians can have the discussions that need to happen. The value of education by northerners is that those issues will be addressed by the people who are actually experiencing them.

I think the University of the Arctic is critical to provide that knowledge, but it is probably not the place for those conversations.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Williamson, you had a quick question before we wrap up.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I've enjoyed listening to the comments today. I certainly hope to have the opportunity, either through this committee or on my own, to visit the north at some point in the future. I've found, as a member, that it helps when you meet people and experience their day-to-day living and activities. I think it shapes our opinions as lawmakers when it comes time to making recommendations.

I have a question. I want to follow up, because sometimes when we say we have to keep talking about climate change, it's kind of left out there. I'm curious to get your thinking about “beyond adaptation”, which I can see as a challenge as the environment warms—and I assumes it's mostly warming in the case of the north—but what else did you have in mind? When foreign dignitaries come and say “Keep talking about it”, what are they talking about, or are you really focused on the adaptation, that we need to ensure that communities and the territories are able to meet the challenges of what I think is a warming trend in the north?

[Dr. Karen Barnes]

Adaptation can mean many things. We have contaminants that are emerging from the soils as permafrost disappears. Those contaminants are getting into our food sources. They're affecting people's health. We have very high incidences of certain diseases and cancers because of that. So that's our health perspective.

There are some wonderful cultural artifacts that are emerging out of the permafrost. You've probably heard about the ice patches and how we're starting to find things in the ice that are telling us stories from about 15,000 years or 20,000 years ago that we didn't know before. It's reshaping how we think about how the north was formed.

It's not entirely about adaptation, but it all affects how we live up here, so that is adaptation.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I raise that because one of the concerns I have, when we have people who suggest we do something.... I'd be curious to have your comments on this. I've always found it odd that under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada was the only country in all the Americas, north and south, that was required to reduce emissions. You might appreciate this; our climate is so cold, our emissions are high, yet that deal came along, and in the Americas, just our country was required to do something.

You might have a comment and you might not, but given our cold environment and the need to burn fossil fuels just so we can keep warm in the winter, it was an unusual agreement that put so much emphasis on our efforts and very little on those of other countries, whether it was in the southern U.S., where they're piling into their SUVs, or in Mexico, where they're burning fuel with a two-stroke engine, for example, and causing emissions left, right, and centre.

That was more of a comment. You're welcome to comment as well if you like. It's up to you.

[Dr. Karen Barnes]

I don't have much of a comment. Kyoto was signed before I moved north, so it wasn't on my radar. We see contaminants in the north more directly than you do in the south. Certainly it has an immediate impact here.

From a personal perspective, we face energy issues every day. We just came out of a stretch of minus 30 for three weeks. Energy is a big concern here. I think it's imperative that we start to seek alternatives and not be so dependent on one source, which is very expensive to get up into our area.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Dr. Barnes, thank you very much for participating in our committee today.

[Dr. Karen Barnes]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Members, we don't have any witnesses for Thursday. I think there's a consensus that we cancel the meeting on Thursday. Is that all right?

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

Agreed.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I'll have to tell the health minister.

[Bob Dechert, Conservative, Mississauga—Erindale, ON]

David agrees.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

Okay.

Paul.

[Paul Dewar, NDP, Ottawa Centre, ON]

I'm fine with that, Chair.

I have one final thing. I want to thank our staff and you as chair, and I wish everyone a restful holiday—Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

[The Chair, Conservative, Dean Allison]

And those wishes go to our translators and all the staff here.

Our work plan has been circulated. We're going to continue to work through that work plan, unless we have any concerns. That was drafted by the researchers, and we'll continue to move forward on that when we come back in the new year. We'll discuss what we're doing with the rest of the Arctic as well as other studies.

Everyone have a good holiday.