HUTCHINSON, Thomas C.; Trent University, Peterborough, Canada: Can Canada fulfill its mandate for Northern Research after years of slippage?

Canada occupies a substantial percentage area of the worlds northern land and marine systems, and this is in regions anticipated to show significant climate warming over the next 50 years. In international scientific groups, the need for good Canadian data, measurements and observations is well recognized. While lots of excellent individual and team efforts are ongoing in the north, the general impression is of lack of political awareness of the urgent need to pull our weight internationally. This neglect, and inertia has accelerated over the past 10 � 15 years to the point of deep embarrassment amongst the scientists. The political demise of the northern agenda has resulted in severe under-funding and withdrawal of northern effort. The occasional speeches from high-level politicians are largely photo-ops and opportunistic sound-bites. We have achieved a failing grade for effort, awareness and resources. The devoted few report thinning of the polar ice, accelerated melting of the glaciers and changes in distributions of biota and in their migration patterns. In this presentation, I will discuss whether the situation can and will be rectified, with reference to a few promising initiatives that could begin a ground-swell of change. These include CFI funding for a fitted-out research ice-breaker, the small but positive efforts of NSERC to implement its joint Northern Task Force and the opportunities new northern governances provide. The paraphrase one great politician, of 60 years ago, �Never before has so much depended on so few�.