Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs

Comité permanent des affaires autochtones et du Nord

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 21, 2023 -

In June 2022, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs began a study on emergency preparedness, and security and sovereignty in the Arctic. Over the course of 10 meetings, the committee heard from 42 witnesses, including emergency preparedness experts, community leaders, academics and representatives from all three territories. In March 2023, members of the committee travelled to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut as part of their study.

Today, Ms. Jenica Atwin, Member of Parliament for Fredericton, New Brunswick, and Chair of the committee, presented a report entitled “Arctic Security and Sovereignty, and the Emergency Preparedness of Indigenous Communities.” Many of the issues raised during this study – housing, food security, infrastructure, emergency management – have been recurring themes at the committee’s hearings in recent years.

With respect to emergency preparedness, the committee is recommending, among other things, that the Government of Canada:

• provide additional funding for mitigation projects;
• prioritize work on multilateral agreements for emergency services in First Nations communities;
• evaluate the best approach to implement emergency alert systems in Indigenous communities;
• streamline the Additions to Reserve process for communities whose lands are frequently affected by emergencies; and
• identify communities which do not have emergency response plans and provide resources necessary to develop those plans.

With respect to Arctic security and sovereignty, the committee is recommending, among other things, that the Government of Canada:

• uphold its commitment to the renewal and modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and strengthen the capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces in the Canadian Arctic;
• establish a new joint rescue coordination centre in the territories;
• take all measures necessary to ensure that the Canadian Rangers can effectively conduct their duties;
• work with its partners to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the Arctic;
• develop and implement a long-term plan for investments in northern infrastructure;
• develop and implement a long-term strategy and vision to assert Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic; and
• determine with its like-minded partners the best way forward for the Arctic Council, considering Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine.

The committee wishes to thank the witnesses who participated in this study and all those who submitted written briefs. Parliamentary studies such as this one would not be possible without the invaluable contribution of Indigenous communities, organizations, governments, experts, and members of the public. The committee also wants to express its gratitude to the people of Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk, Nunavut, and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, for their hospitality.