OTTAWA — In its first major statement on the Arctic, the Trudeau government has moved away the more-confrontational approach that dominated Conservative policy, with Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion putting Russia at the centre of Canada’s northern policy. Canada “wishes to be rational,” so working with Russia in the Arctic is “eminently sensible.”CIGI fellow John Higginbotham, who helped organize the event, said he was pleased and surprised by the statement. The trick is to put up a “firewall” between the Arctic and other issues with Russia, said the University of British Columbia’s Michael Byers. The new policy is a “striking change of approach.”“I think this is a wise policy shift for the simple reason that Russia is an indispensable partner in the Arctic,” he said. While Arctic sea borders are still being looked at by the United Nations, Canada and the U.S. are at loggerheads over the northwest passage.

Source: National Post October 01, 2016 02:37 UTC