Minister Chartrand Represents Canada at 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly -- Advancing Northern-Led Climate and Sovereignty Solutions

REYKJAVÍK, Iceland, Oct. 18, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, issued the following statement:

"For three days in Reykjavík, leaders from across the world came together to act on the urgent challenges facing the Arctic. With over 200 participants from 70 countries, the Arctic Circle Assembly is a vital forum for advancing cooperation on climate change, energy security, economic development, and shared stewardship of the North.

As Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs, I was proud and honoured to represent Canada's northern and Arctic priorities on the world stage, advancing collaboration on sovereignty, clean energy transition, and economic opportunity for our communities. My role is to ensure that Canada's Arctic policies are shaped by Northerners, grounded in Indigenous rights, and responsive to the realities of northern life.

Canada's delegation, including our new Arctic Ambassador, Virginia Mearns, shared how we are protecting Arctic sovereignty, advancing national interests, and building a stable, prosperous, and secure future through our Arctic Foreign Policy, which draws from Canada's Arctic and Northern Policy Framework. As a Northerner herself, and with more than a decade of experience advocating for Inuit communities through Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the Government of Nunavut, Virginia brings both heart and expertise to this important role.

At a time of heightened geopolitical interest in the Arctic, Canada reaffirmed that cooperation, not competition, must guide our shared stewardship of this vital region. Northern communities are facing urgent challenges, such as safeguarding energy security, protecting ecosystems, and addressing the wide-ranging impacts of climate change.

Through Canada's One Canadian Economy approach, we are aligning investments across clean energy, resilient infrastructure, and skills development, ensuring that Northerners benefit from the growth taking place across the Arctic.

Innovation is driving resilience in Arctic communities, from renewable energy to northern infrastructure. Indigenous and local leadership are at the heart of this work. Canada's delegation included Indigenous and northern leaders who are shaping Arctic policy through lived experience and expertise.

This Assembly was an opportunity to advance Canada's renewed Arctic agenda, one that unites economic development, climate resilience, and Indigenous self-determination. Collaboration through events such as the Arctic Circle Assembly is critical to shaping a secure, sustainable, and united Arctic led by partnership, innovation, and northern leadership.

As a minister from the North, I am proud to bring Canada's voice and values to the world stage, a vision rooted in reconciliation, sovereignty, and sustainable growth for the people who call the North home.

Canada is committed to ensuring that our global commitments translate into concrete results for northern communities, as well as to advancing our shared priorities ahead of the 2027 Arctic Council ministerial meeting and future cooperation with Arctic partners.

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For more information, media may contact: Erika Lashbrook Knutson, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, [email protected]