Baffinland mine

Arctic Sovereignty

How do we secure Canada's Arctic future in a way that balances national security, economic opportunity and Inuit and Indigenous self-determination?

Arctic Sovereignty

How do we secure Canada's Arctic future in a way that balances national security, economic opportunity and Inuit and Indigenous self-determination?

Baffinland mine

Arctic Sovereignty

How do we secure Canada's Arctic future in a way that balances national security, economic opportunity and Inuit and Indigenous self-determination?

WAFAR's inaugural IGNITE Summer Internship Program used Arctic Sovereignty as a model for exploring global questions of governance, geopolitics, Indigenous rights, climate change and security. 

IGNITE 2026

Focused on Arctic sovereignty, six Western undergraduates carried out 14 weeks of independent, faculty-mentored research across disciplines, with the aim of developing future research leaders and sharing their findings beyond the university.

Research Questions

Christina Martin-Smith, "Interpreting Sovereignty": How the role of interpreters in Behchokǫ̀ has changed over time, and how that has strengthened or constrained Tłı̨chǫ and Canadian sovereignty.

Ryan Marsh, "Valuing Arctic Shipping Under Environmental and Market Uncertainty": How climate change will affect the long-term economic viability of Arctic shipping routes.

Veronica Miranda, "At the Table or On the Menu?": How tension between Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and Canadian Arctic policy shapes who decides, who benefits and who bears the consequences.

Finlay McFarlane, "Resilience and Grey-Zone Deterrence in the Canadian Arctic": The long-term consequences of grey-zone operations in the Arctic.

Beck McManus, "Evaluating the CPSP": Which factors will drive Canada's submarine procurement decision, and which bid was likely to win.

Max Gao, "Melting Ice, Thawing Borders": How Canada has used ancestral Inuit occupancy to claim maritime sovereignty internationally, and how this conflicts with its domestic treatment of Inuit self-determination.

Impacts

  • All six projects are continuing toward publications, papers or policy outcomes, including  a policy paper submitted and accepted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.
  • An interactive Arctic Shipping Valuation Tool was built to model investment risk under climate and market uncertainty.
  • Reciprocal relationships were built with the Tłı̨chǫ Government and the Government of the Northwest Territories through community-guided fieldwork.
  • Sharing research with the community: Scholars presented their findings at IGNITE Day, a public showcase that brought together students, faculty, university leaders and community members, including local MP Peter Fragiskatos.
  • Building connections across campus: IGNITE brought together faculty mentors, speakers and researchers from across Western, creating new interdisciplinary connections around a shared theme.

Meet The Team

From left to right:

Ryan Marsh, Applied Mathematics
Finlay McFarlane, International Relations
Max Gao, Law
Lucas Penney, (staff support), Cultural Forces of Global Change, Animal Ethics & Sustainability Leadership
Veronica Miranda, Indigenous Studies and Sociology
Christina Martin-Smith, Anthropology and Environmental Science
Beck McManus, International Relations

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