I head off on Friday for a week in Canada’s vast Arctic north. With other heads of mission and Canadian officials, we will travel from Iqaluit and Pond Inlet in the east, to Dawson City, Whitehorse and Yellowknife out west, en route back to Ottawa.
It’s an adventure on many levels: a chance to learn more about Canadian Arctic policy, at a time when climatic change is making more feasible the possibility of mineral exploitation, and even eventual commercial use of the Northwest Passage; to meet the peoples of the North, and learn more about how they live, and the challenges they face; and to experience the Arctic environment and habitats, and see some of the wildlife – perhaps even Beluga whales in James Bay!
I have a long personal fascination with both Poles, from the voyages of Captain Cook, seeking terra australis incognita and getting the furthest south of any seaman of his time; to his efforts in the north to sail through the Bering Strait (from Anchorage, which gets its name because that’s where his ships anchored); from Frobisher and Hudson in the Arctic, and Shackleton and Scott in the Antarctic, to Franklin at both Poles. Not to mention Amundsen, Nansen, Byrd and many others.
In addition to my personal interest, the UK has a long tradition of Polar exploration and scientific research. Given the ecological and environmental importance, that will continue.
I hope to come back with a deeper appreciation of life in the True North, of the risks and opportunities for both its peoples and policy-makers. Oh, and perhaps a few photographs of its land and seascapes, as a reminder of its beauty and power. I’ll post these if they’re any good, and write again.