Friday G-7 Summit to Promote Seal Meat, Global Warming

Tomorrow when the delegations from the world's largest economies meet in Iqaluit, a capital "city" in the Canadian arctic, the meeting won't cover how to stop global warming, but rather how to profit from it. The remote location was chosen specifically for its proximity to Canada's northern border, an experience Canadian foreign ministers hope will open the developed world's eyes to the reality of economic and political issues surrounding the thawing north. Border disputes have flared up between Russia, Canada, the United States, and Denmark, who all see a viable shipping route and oil reserves thought to exceed 20% of the the earth's total supply sitting under the melting sea ice.

"With the interest from my prime minister to develop the north and the interest around sovereignty, it’s an ideal location to have a G-7, to show the international community that Canada’s Arctic is a part of Canada," said Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, the first Inuit to sit in a Canadian federal cabinet. In a Challenge to Canada's sovereignty, Russia planted a titanium flag on the arctic sea floor in 2007. Russian planes have been documented to have entered Canadian airspace dozens of times in the since then, while Russian submarines have been seen within three miles of Canadian waters. Canada has responded by increasing the size of their icebreaker warship fleet, building a naval base on the northern shore, and regularly conducting military exercises in the area. Canada did not invite Russia to attend the G-7 summit.

In an effort to boost camaraderie between invited nations, Canada's foreign minister has dialed back the G-7 summit be more informal. Fireside chats are expected to replace board room meetings, dog sledding will replace motorcades, and seal meat has been confirmed on the menu. “I’m hoping it will be served and that people get a taste of what we eat in the north,” Aglukkaq said. “Often we are not consulted, or ignored, and people don’t understand the fact that it is our way of life.” The European Union and the United States both have a ban on the sale of seal products. While this menu item may draw the ire of green groups who claim that the seal hunt is inhumane, Canadian ministers say that adopting a "northern perspective" will help governments of developed nations appreciate Canada's misunderstood position and how the shifting climate has given the country an emerging role in the international community.