Funded by the Richard and Jean Ivey Fund of London, Ontario, our National Symposium has enjoyed tremendous success as a forum for dialogue between northern and southern Canadians. In 1987, CARC will publish the proceedings of each seminar to provide a comprehensive record of current issues and a document for gauging the direction of northern development well into the next decade.

Yellowknife ¾ 21-22 April 1986

The Report of the Task Force on Native Claims Policy-A Public Review

 Representatives of native organizations from across Canada gathered at CARC's first seminar to discuss the question of native claims and the recommendations of the Task Force to Review Comprehensive: Claims Policy, a body appointed in July 1985 under the: chairmanship of former CARC executive director Murray Coolican. Participants agreed that a new claims policy must be a government priority, and although not unanimous in their support for the task force report, Living Treaties: Lasting Agreements, most viewed it as a useful framework upon which to base a more realistic and just federal approach. Extinguishment of aboriginal title and rights. the means and timing of implementation cash settlements, and resource development and revenues were among the issues debated.

Edmonton¾ 6-17 June 1986

The Role of the Northern Community in the Management of Northern Resources

 The growing responsibility of northern aboriginal communities for the management of their land is an aspect of the devolutionary process often eclipsed by other political and economic considerations, but one which must be considered fundamental to questions of land claims and territorial division. At CARC's Edmonton seminar, representatives from communities throughout the North made it clear that northerners now expect to play an integral role in the planning of resource development strategies in their regions. Strong community organizations, be they hamlet councils or land corporations, were regarded by many as essential for the maintenance of stability during development and post-development phases.

Frobisher Bay ¾ 24-26 September 1986

Community Economic Development: Arctic Experiences

 Our Frobisher Bay seminar, cosponsored by the Northwest Territories: Department of Economic Development and Tourism offered a unique opportunity for the comparison of community-based development strategies in northern and southern Canada. Discussion focused on fundamental conflict between the informal subsistence economy of northern hunting communities and the formal market economy of southern Canada. There was general agreement that the range of business opportunities has yet to be fully: exploited and that there is an urgent need to develop training programmes for native people It was felt that only through greater:; involvement in the planning of projects at the community and regional levels can native people ensure both economic growth and the preservation of traditional values.

Toronto¾ 30-31 October 1986

Canada's Interests in the International Arctic: Toward A Circumpolar Policy

 The potential for Canadian leadership in the circumpolar world has long been recognized by Nordic nations, but only recently has the question of Canada's role emerged in policy debate in this country. Those in attendance at CARC's Toronto seminar examined the various avenues open to Canada and discussed the implications, pro and con, of foreign policy initiatives that reflect a "northern dimension". Although there was agreement that strategic considerations and economic disparity among northern nations might limit the effectiveness of multilateral arrangements, there was, nevertheless, a considerable degree of concern expressed about the lack of cooperation among arctic neighbour states. It was felt, too, that Canada must strive toward improving its own record of haphazard administration in the North before undertaking any major effort in the area of circumpolar affairs.

Whitehorse¾ 24-25 November 1986

Native Development Corporations: Strategies for the Future

 CARC's Whitehorse seminar focused on the emerging importance of native development corporations in Canada's North. Discussion centred on the multifaceted role such corporations often assume as stewards of both economic resources and cultural heritage. Of particular concern was the development of management structures appropriate to the uncertain relationship between northern economies and established market institutions in southern Canada, a consideration even more urgent in light: of the changing administrative environment of the North.

Montreal¾ 29-30 January 1987

Native Wildlife Management, the Anti-harvest Movement, and the Commercialization of Northern Wildlife

 The concluding session in CARC's National Symposium on the North in the 1~0s will tackle one of the most important and most controversial subjects to emerge in the North in recent decades. The effects of the anti-harvest movement on the traditional culture of native peoples and the economy of the North have been devastating, yet debate continues to rage between animal rights activists and residents of northern communities who depend almost solely on income derived from the sale of fur products.