An Insecure North?

The Absence of Inuit Voice in Canadian Defence Policy

Abstract

State actors are becoming increasingly interested in the economic potential and security dynamics of the Arctic space as the effects of global climatic change rapidly shape the world’s polar spaces. National governments have responded to these changing dynamics by tailoring their defence policies to reflect what they believe to be the most pressing challenges to their presence in the region. This article asks; how is the north framed and whose voices are reflected in Canadian defence policy? It concludes that the conventional framing of Canada’s north remains deeply influenced by the idealized and imagined narratives of Canadian governance with little inclusion of disparate voices.

By examining the defence white papers of prime ministers Chretien, Martin, Harper, and Trudeau, this article determines that Canadian Arctic security discourse has increased significantly in the post-Cold War era while the region’s Inuit population remain external to its dialogue. This absence of Indigenous voice in Canadian defence policy reflects an unsustainable Eurocentric viewing of the North that is unable to adequately address the region’s changing dynamics. As such, Canada’s future defence policy must acknowledge the distinct and transnational value of Inuit traditional knowledge to overcome the limitations of conventional trans-Atlantic policy frameworks.