New Arctic ambassador to meet with circumpolar counterparts

Weeks into her appointment as Canada’s Arctic ambassador, Virginia Mearns is preparing to address the circumpolar stage later this month in Reykjavik, Iceland, for the 2025 Arctic Circle Assembly.

Her goal is to continue to “demonstrate and assert” Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and make sure the rights of people who live in the North are upheld, Mearns said in an interview.

“It’s an incredibly important moment in time to demonstrate that,” she said.

The assembly, the largest annual international gathering on the Arctic, promises to bring together more than 2,000 participants from more than 60 countries. It’s scheduled to run Oct. 16 to 18.

Governments, organizations, corporations, universities, think tanks, environmental associations and representatives from Indigenous communities are all expected to attend.

The United States is among the nations planning to send delegates.

Despite ongoing trade tensions between Canada and the U.S., Arctic collaboration remains a priority, Mearns said.

“It’s important to note the longstanding relationship that Canada and the [United] States have had with respect to the Arctic, whether it be from a security standpoint or from the perspectives of the residents of our respective countries,” she said.

“There are many ways in which we can ensure that that relationship remains positive.”

Shoring up other existing partnerships also remains a cornerstone of Canadian circumpolar policy, Mearns said, adding she’s looking forward to working closely with her “Nordic counterparts” at the conference as well.

Mearns met briefly with representatives from Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland, all NATO members, during the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference in Iqaluit last month.

Not all the meetings Mearns has involve international partners. She plans to host consultations with Indigenous representatives throughout the territories and northern regions of the provinces during the remainder of the year.

“That’s a big part of what I’m tasked with in my new role — to ensure that there is a strong relationship between Inuit and the Government of Canada, as well as other Indigenous Peoples that reside in our Arctic,” she said.

“It is an opportunity to also be able to dig a bit deeper into the realities of living in the North and in the Arctic and really demonstrate different types of opportunities that do exist in Canada beyond southern Canada.”

Mearns previously served as deputy minister and associate deputy minister of executive and government affairs, cabinet secretary, and principal secretary for the Government of Nunavut.