Native Canadian daily life in the Northwest Passage context

Abstract

This article explores the connection between the indigenous populations of the North and the Canadian government regarding the Northwest Passage in the Arctic region. The significance of indigenous representation in managing the Northwest Passage is emphasized. The challenges faced by small indigenous groups of the Canadian Arctic are addressed, as well as possible solutions through series of mutually beneficial economic and political proposals. Inuit involvement in the management of marine ecosystem goes beyond Canada’s borders. The Arctic Council has demonstrated that permanent participants from Northern Indigenous communities can significantly influence government, especially on Arctic issues. The days when the Arctic was on the outskirts of global political affairs are gone, as are the days of Canada’s previous passive stance towards its assertions of historically internal waters within the Northwest Passage. Advancing the interests of Indigenous peoples of the North is a well-established Canadian position. The utilization of the Arctic territory by these peoples serves as the backbone of Canada’s Arctic State Policy, consistently articulated by the Government of Canada.