QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Loss of Arctic Ice
June 8, 2023
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, today, June 8, is World Ocean Day, a day when people around the world rally to protect and restore our shared oceans and to ensure a stable climate. Canada has 162,000 kilometres of Arctic Ocean coastline, with sea ice across three territories and four provinces, much of it in Indigenous territory.
Yesterday, the CBC reported that according to new scientific research, the Arctic Ocean is predicted to be free of summer ice potentially as early as 2030, depending on global emissions — a full decade earlier than previous estimates. This big melt would significantly impact Arctic communities by damaging infrastructure built on increasingly unstable permafrost, and it would threaten the way of life of Arctic residents.
Ice-free summers would be devastating for the fragile ecosystems that depend on sea ice, from algae to polar bears. Canada is an Arctic nation, and the Arctic is the earth’s air conditioner, with Arctic ice and snow reflecting back 80% of the sun’s radiation. Ice-free summers in the Arctic Ocean will lead to more extreme weather events in the rest of Canada and certainly well beyond.
Senator Gold, what plans does the Canadian government have in place to respond to the multiple and serious implications of the loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean?
Thank you for raising this important question. The melting of Arctic ice at an accelerated pace is a preoccupation for all the reasons you mentioned, and they go beyond that, including the challenges for those who rely on the hunting and gathering their food — during my visit to the North a few years ago, that was evident even then — the search and rescue that follows all of that and, indeed, to our sovereignty. The government has taken action with regard to the health of our oceans, and I could — there’s much to say there.
With respect to the particular question, as there is less and less ice in the Arctic, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans along with the Canadian Coast Guard have expanded our presence and capabilities in the short-term to defend our sovereignty, defend the communities that are affected, respond to the increasing risks of climate-based disasters and are working in the scientific community to address and to continue to further address how to mitigate the effects of this seemingly, for the moment, irreversible and dangerous trend.
Thank you for your response. I look forward to hearing more about the mitigation aspect as well.
Senator Gold, could you tell us anything about how Canada is collaborating with other Arctic countries on the loss of sea ice challenges?
The context of all of this, of course, is the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts — along with other nations — to combat climate change and, in that regard, relying upon science and collaboration with our partners.
On Arctic issues specifically, Canada meets regularly with our circumpolar partners to deal with issues like the ones you mentioned, and others, surrounding climate change, security and the like.
Some years ago, as you know, the government released its Arctic and Northern Policy Framework, providing overarching priorities to the government and investments in the Arctic that will take us to 2030 and beyond. This was co-developed with Northerners, territorial and provincial governments, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
To repeat: Canada is working with other partners in the Arctic region to address this issue of common concern.
