Policy Research Council Of The Canadian Arctic

With vast territory and various indigenous peoples in the Arctic，Canada has significant national interests in the region. Meanwhile,challenges to sovereignty，environment and society arise all the time.These factors deeply influenced the Canadian Northern perceptions anddetermined the goals of Canadian Arctic foreign policy to be sovereigntydominant and sustainable development oriented. Given the national power,it seems clear that regional cooperation would be the best way to achievethe goals.The Arctic Council is the most significant achievements of Canadiandiplomacy in the region. As a Canadian initiative incubated for almost20years, the Arctic Council was finally designed in1991to be acomprehensive international institute with a standing body and an openagenda covers all the Arctic issues from environment to military, in whichaboriginal organizations could also share decision-making rights withArctic states.The establishment of the Arctic Council depended on Canada’suntiring diplomatic efforts. By the end of1993, the Canadian initiativewere endorsed by most Arctic Countries and leading aboriginalorganizations. However, due to the disagreements of the United States,the Council was established3years later with a narrowed agendarestrained to low-politics and a changed character, in which aborigineshares no decision-making rights. Since then, Canada supports the workof the Council actively and tries to enhance the Council to a body closerto its initiative which consistent with Canada’s interests. Canada hasbegan to chair the Council from2013to2015and again announced to enhancethe Council. Meanwhile, the Canadian Parliament also pays close attention to aboriginal organizations’ actual participation in the Council.Canadian Policy towards Arctic Council presents two characteristics.First, Canada has a multilateral tendency to seek comprehensiveinternational institute. An implicit purpose of Canada to establish theArctic Council is to multilateral some thorny bilateral issues. Canadais also actively promoting regional cooperation from low-politics tohigh-politics, in order to broaden the agenda of the Council. Second,Canada is able to flexibly adjust its foreign policy to balance the greatpowers in the region, which is reflected in two aspects: introducenon-state actors in the region such as aboriginal organizations into theArctic Council to dilute great powers’ influence on Arctic issues;timely change the exclusion attitude towards non-Arctic countries inorder to counterbalance domain power’s unilateral actions in the region.