Climate Change adaptation policies and Northern development; Continuity or changes between Harper’s and Trudeau’s government?

Abstract

Biophysical changes associated with climatic variation in the Canadian Arctic have created various challenges (such as transportation, housing, infrastructure reliance, and security of the Northern national border) and opportunities (natural resources extraction and the development of tourism, among others). In response, the federal government has become more involved in the development of Canada’s North over the last decade. By analyzing Canada’s Northern Strategy (2009) and the Federal Adaptation Framework (2011), this research critically analyzes the successive governments’ progress in developing adaptation strategies and policies to mitigate such impact and risk. This research finds that while important steps have made in addressing the problem of adaptation in the North since 2009, and funding has been allocated to several projects to improve climate resilience, Northern populations that are disproportionally affected by climate change and majority Indigenous have been ignored in the process. Keywords: Canadian Arctic, Climate change, Climate adaptation, Vulnerability, Indigenous, Northern Strategy, Adaptation Framework