Arctic territories unite against U.S. annexation threats

For Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok, comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about a possible takeover of Canada feel personal. Akeeagok sees them as a direct threat to the hard-fought sovereignty of the northern territory. 

His family was directly involved in the forced relocations of the 1950s, in which Inuit were taken from their communities and shipped to Resolute Bay and Grise Fiord, “really as human flagpoles,” to claim Canada’s sovereignty, Akeeagok explains.

“When I look back at my own history with my own family, and there are many families that are impacted that really have paid a heavy price in terms of asserting Canada's sovereignty over the North, and so, it's very personal,” Akeeagok said in an interview with Canada’s National Observer about Trump’s 51st state threats.

For decades, the territories struggled for greater autonomy from their colonial states. Some measure of success was achieved by Nunavut, which won devolution from Ottawa last year, giving the territory and Inuit, more sovereignty over their own lands. 

And so, when President Trump calls for the annexation of other countries, including Canada and Greenland, his own people’s experiences are still fresh in his memory, Akeeagok said. 

Now, both Nunavut and Greenland, as Inuit-led territories, are calling for greater international diplomacy in the face of threats from Washington.

Akeeagok says Trump’s 51st-state comments are actually an opportunity for nation-building. He says a robust build-out of the North is essential to asserting Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic. 

Topping his list are more deep-sea ports in Nunavut, and greater economic investment in infrastructure to help people there, who are about 85 per cent  Inuit . Nunavut still depends primarily on fossil fuels for energy, has no rail or road access outside the territory, and has one deep-sea port completed in Iqauluit in 2022.

Akeeagok believes major investment in northern infrastructure could transform Nunavut into the  “economic engine of Canada,” particularly with regard to its wealth of critical minerals. Akeeagok looks to Greenland, facing the same threats from Washington, as an example. 

Greenland is more developed economically than Nunavut. The country sources its energy largely from hydro power (over 80 per cent) and has a number of deep-sea ports, which support fisheries and other resources. The premier hopes Nunavut can emulate Greenland by developing its halibut and shrimp fisheries, and critical minerals. 

In 2022, Akeeagok signed an MOU with Greenland to strengthen its relationship with the country that has deep familial and linguistic ties to Nunavut. 

Greenland’s history of sovereignty and future trade partner

Greenland, like Nunavut, is almost entirely Inuit (90 per cent) and is similarly opposed to Trump’s takeover threats. Sara Olsvig, the Nuuk, Greenland-based chair of the Inuit Circumpolar Council said in a strongly worded statement in response to Trump’s annexation threat against her country that “there is no such thing as the better colonizer.” Olsvig has found that even media reporting has been “disrespectful” of Inuit, implying that it is “better to be Inuk in this state rather than that state.” 

Greenland is an Indigenous-led, independent part of the Western alliance, Olsvig says, so is not available for sale by Denmark, no matter what Trump says.

“Greenlanders and Inuit are distinct from the Danish people,” she said. “We are not Danes, as our prime minister has said; we do not wish to be Americans, and we do not wish to be Danes. We are Greenlanders. We are Inuit.”

That’s not to say Greenland doesn’t want to be part of global trade. Greenland wants to do business with the U.S. and has previously negotiated with both the previous Trump and Biden administrations. 

“That's been very, very clearly stated by the government of Greenland, and that's also in the interest of us as Inuit, that we expand on our business relations across our homelands,” Olsvig said. “That's been a goal of the Inuit Circumpolar Council for many years.” 

Still, aggressive rhetoric from the U.S. raises questions about how diplomacy around Arctic issues will play out. 

Questions around the Arctic Council 

With increased geopolitical tensions within the global far North, Olsvig is calling for greater cooperation and peace within the Arctic Council following sweeping threats of takeovers by Trump. The council, founded in the 1990s, is an international body that cooperates on Arctic issues like climate change, biodiversity and economic development.

The council is composed of eight Arctic states and six Indigenous organizations, making up what Olsvig calls the Arctic 14, where Indigenous organizations hold an equal seat to the nation states on the council, including Denmark, the U.S. and Canada.

The Kingdom of Denmark will assume chairship of the council this spring when the first meetings are held since Trump 2.0 began.

Trump’s imperialist rhetoric

The Nunavut government is in close communication with Ottawa to ensure their input is heard ahead of the meetings.

Akeeagok believes Trump’s threats drive home the need for Nordic countries and Indigenous organizations to come together to protect Arctic interests. 

“I think that was a big eyeopener for all of us, that we have to stay united, and that we have to work together to ensure that we have that united voice,” he said.

Akeeagok and Olsvig are adamant that benefits to founding Peoples must lie at the centre of any discussions.

“The Arctic is not just an ice desert or a region for geopolitical tension,” Olsvig said. “It's a region of peoples, and we live here; we've lived here for millennia, and we will live here in the future.”

Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer / Local Journalism Initiative