October 28, 3:00p.m.
Royal Cinema
(Preceded by the screening of Kiviaq vs. Canada, directed by Zacharias Kunuk)

The Canadian Arctic, the vast frozen tundra, the ice floes in its waterways, its people and its wildlife have been central to Canadian mythology about the North. But as Inuit leader Sheila Watt-Cloutier states, the rich and majestic Arctic has supported a resilient culture for millennia, one which will not be a footnote to the onslaught of globalization.

In the context of climate change, the recent adaptation of a traditional culture to a modern one, the current global competition to control its vast resources and the cries for sovereignty, our Spotlight panel will explore the future of our Polar world. While a profound and for some, a cataclysmic transformation is occurring in our polar region, much of it due to unsustainable practices in the south, others see this irreversible trend as an opportunity, a bonanza to lay stake to the unclaimed material riches below the permafrost and amidst the melting ice floes.

What will it take to build a sustainable future in the High Arctic and are we ready to move beyond neo-colonialist rhetoric? Join Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Dr. Franklyn Griffiths, filmmaker Evie Mark, and others as they enlighten us about the Arctic region, now at the forefront of our national agenda.

Moderator – TBA

Participants – Sheila Watt Cloutier (former International Chair Inuit Circumpolar Conference and Nobel Prize nominee); Dr. Franklyn Griffiths (Political Scientist); Evie Mark (Director, Ullumi); Caroline Underwood (Director/Producer, Antarctic Mission); Others TBA