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Back to the roots New Canadian Polar Commission study looks at issues important to Northerners
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, June 27, 2013
INUVIK
The Canadian Polar Commission (CPC) wants to know what you know about the North.
Canadian Polar Commission chairperson Bernard Funston said the organization is launching a study on the state of Northern knowledge. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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The organization is completing a State of Northern Knowledge report that should be available by the end of the year.
Bernard Funston, the chairperson at the CPC, made the announcement during board deliberations in Inuvik June 19.
"Our mandate is for polar information," he said. "There's been a huge increase in interest in the North in the last few years. We're in the implementation business, and I think that what's coming out of this meeting is our report on Northern knowledge.
"What we've done is go back to our roots," he continued. "One of our mandates is to report on the state of Northern knowledge, so we're trying this and working a lot with people from the North to understand what it is they think are the important priorities in terms of research gaps."
Funston quoted a common joke amongst Northerners, who compare researchers to geese.
"They fly north for the spring and then go south in the fall," he said with a smile. "As a result, a lot of the research is driven by perspectives that are not from the North. So this report we're working on we hope will bring a better balance to that discussion."
The report is focused on identifying "issues that are important in the North," Funston said.
The CPC is looking at non-standard research issues such as infrastructure, housing and education, he said. That's unique in any organization doing Arctic research, which tends to focus on issues such as climate change and wildlife conservation. Such sociological issues have never been at the forefront, he said.
"I think it's going to be an interesting report, and we look forward to doing this on a regular basis as we go forward. It's something we can contribute to the discussion on research going on in the North."
First report of its kind
Despite the mandate of the CPC to provide such a report, Funston said this is the first formal report with the expanded viewpoint.
Nellie Cournoyea, the head of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, is the vice-chair of the CPC. She didn't respond to a request for comments on the report.
No one else in Inuvik who was contacted by the Drum seemed to be familiar with it.
A detailed interim report should be presented to the CPC sometime in July, Funston said.
"The CPC's State of Northern Knowledge study has been underway since before Christmas 2012 with a publication date set for fall 2013," stated spokesperson David Miller in an e-mail. "It's intended to provide a snap shot of Northern research/knowledge expressed in terms of issues, gains and gaps, the analysis of which will culminate in a prioritized list of research 'opportunities' deserving of particular attention by policy and decision makers.
"The report is based on standardized, semi-formal interviews cross-referenced with validating literature. Since the North belongs to those who live there, the project gives priority to Northern interests and values with a view to strengthening their role in the setting of research priorities for the region. This is reflected in the proportion of Northerners among the total number of expert informants. Almost two-thirds of informants reside in the North (71 out of 114)," Miller stated.
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