What is the Arctic Policy Framework?

The Government of Canada is developing an Arctic Policy Framework to provide overarching direction to its priorities, activities and investments in the Arctic, from now until 2030.

The federal document proposes to focus on the following:

• Comprehensive Infrastructure
• Strong Arctic People and Communities
• Sustainable Arctic Economy
• Arctic Science and Indigenous Knowledge
• Protecting the Environment and Conserving Arctic Biodiversity
• Arctic in the Global Context
• Economy and Trade
• Defence, Safety and Security
• Environmental and Scientific Cooperation
• Social and Cultural Cooperation

How will the NWT be involved in the Arctic Policy Framework?

There will be an NWT chapter in the federal Arctic Policy Framework. The GNWT is hopeful that once completed, the federal Arctic Policy Framework will result in more coordinated efforts by all levels of government, to advance common priorities and increase the quality of life for people who live in the Arctic.

For the purposes of this work, we have considered all of the Northwest Territories in our definition of the Arctic.

The deadline to provide feedback on the Arctic Policy Framework was March 15 and the survey is now closed.

Summaries of what we heard from Indigenous governments, non-government organizations, and industry and business are available for download below.