In brief, there are 19 populations across the circumpolar Arctic, of which 13 are wholly or partly in Canada. The status of these populations varies dramatically depending on where you're looking.
The one in the southern Beaufort Sea, north of the Yukon and NWT, has declined by up to 50%. That is the same for western Hudson Bay in Nunavut and Manitoba. The one in southern Hudson Bay has declined as well but to a lesser extent. Other populations are doing quite well. It's really predicated on the trend in sea ice. If the sea ice is changing, the populations are affected.
Ultimately, this is of great concern to northern communities that rely on polar bears for sustenance. Also, culturally, hunting polar bears is very important. This creates a lot of challenges going forward as we have a declining resource but a growing population that would like to hunt polar bears as part of their cultural activities.
In the future, I think polar bears are going to be severely challenged. We will see an increase in conservation concerns going forward. I'll note that federally, the polar bear program of Environment and Climate Change Canada has not been adequately funded nor adequately staffed for many years now.