Vicki Sahanatien

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INTO THE CANADIAN WILDERNESSNORTH OF 60

• Vicki Sahanatien
• Parks Canada - Nunavut Field Unit
• Iqaluit, NU Canada

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Challenge 1 Canadian Wilderness?

• Little public discourse in Canada on wilderness
  policy, legislation and wildlands management
• Limited or no agreement on what values are
  represented and can be protected by wilderness
  areas
• Result ? Incorporating wilderness values into
  land management decisions difficult
• Parks Canada has few guidelines for managing
  wilderness
• Result 2 ? Reluctance to designate wilderness
  areas in national parks

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Challenge 2 Non-renewable Resource Development

• Canadas north is a huge storehouse mineral,
  oil, gas
• Exploration Temporal Change claim stakes,
  cairns, landing strips, fuel caches, air craft
  activity, camps, seismic lines
• Development Permanent Change roads (seasonal,
  all season), rail, pipelines, ports, mine
  infrastructure, processing
• Wilderness Values are not often voiced in
  Environmental Assessment processes

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Challenge 3 Changing Societies People Under
Stress

• Aboriginal people (Inuit and First Nations) are
  experiencing extreme social and cultural stresses
• Transition to town life, education system, wage
  economy, multi-national interests
• Immediate pressures to deal with suicide, basic
  health care, substance abuse, and crime
• Difficult to respond to long range land use
  planning and immediate land use decisions
• Compromises aboriginal peoples futures
  renewable resources are essential

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Vital Statistics Canadas North

• Population YK( 31,371), NWT (42,040), NU
  (29,357)
• Official Languages
• Yukon English, French
• NWT Chipewyan, Cree, Dogrib, Gwichin, Slavey,
  Inukitut, English, French
• Nunavut Inuktitut, English, French
• Economy government, services, tourism,
  outfitting, subsistence, arts and crafts, mining,
  oil and gas

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Solutions 1 Legislative Frameworks Strategies

• Land claim agreements create frameworks and
  processes for power sharing, consultation
  decision making.
• Aboriginal people can use these agreements to
  protect their interests protect wildlands for
  future
• Some land claims give specific direction on
  protection of wilderness within national parks
• Protected areas strategies (NWT complete, YK
  working document, NU not started) and long term
  land use plans

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Solution 2 Honour Perpetuate Aboriginal Land
and Ocean Use

• Land and ocean management agencies support and
  encourage continued traditional use of wildlands
• Aboriginal cultures are intricately tied to land,
  sea and the resources used
• As long as people remain connected to their
  homelands it will remain imperative to protect
  wilderness values
• The land takes care of us, we take care of the
  land
• Example Parks Canada Inuit Knowledge Project
• Example Park Management Committees

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Solution 3 Parks Canada Creates Public
Discourse on Wilderness

• PC is the only federal department that is
  legislated (Canada National Parks Act) to protect
  and manage wilderness
• Ecological Integrity Panel (1999) identified lack
  of action to declare wilderness in any national
  parks
• Progress since 1999
• PC developed internal action plan
• Wilderness areas declared in national parks
• All revised and new management plans must
  consider wilderness
• PC is in position to initiate and guide public
  discussion on wilderness and develop a Canadian
  Wilderness Policy

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AREA STATISTICS Canadian Northern National
Parks - 2005
AREA NORTHERN NPS AS FUNCTION OF ALL CANADIAN
NPS 65
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Future Canadian Contribution to Wilderness and
Wildlands

• People in Wilderness Guidelines, Policy,
  Legislation
• Sustain cultures, wilderness values, and
  ecosystem values
• Incorporate wilderness values using indigenous
  peoples cosmology and language

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