In October, officlals from Canada and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK) jointly announced the creation of a stand-alone Arctic Region inclusive of the four regions of Inuit Nunangat for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard.
As the changing climate opens up this region to greater fishing, shipping, resource development, and other interests, DFO, the Coast Guard, and ITK want to ensure that Inuit and all Indigenous peoples, as well as residents of the North are at the center of the department’s decision-making in the region.
The creation of the Arctic Region will be implemented in phases and has already begun with the hiring of new DFO Regional Director General, Gabriel Nirlungayuk, who will be based in Rankin Inlet, and a new Assistant Commissioner of the Coast Guard, Neil O’Rourke, who will be based in Yellowknife. They will both work with Inuit and all Indigenous peoples, as well as residents of the North to define the borders of the new Region and its activities.
The new Region will enable DFO and the Coast Guard to work more closely with Inuit and all Indigenous Leaders, Indigenous organizations, stakeholders and all residents of the Arctic on innovative approaches to program and service delivery.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada currently has 6 administrative regions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Maritimes-Scotia Fundy, Gulf, Quebec, Central and Arctic and Pacific. There will be 7 regions once the stand-alone Arctic region has been established.
The Canadian Coast Guard currently has 3 operational regions: Western, Central and Arctic, and Atlantic. The Coast Guard will have 4 operational regions once the stand-alone Arctic region is established.
source: Fisheries and Oceans Canada