Tilson Welcomes Arctic Parliamentarians to Ottawa

OTTAWA, ON – Dufferin-Caledon MP, David Tilson, acted as co-chair for the meeting of the Standing Committee of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region. Mr. Tilson welcomed dignitaries from eight artic states including: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the USA.

During the meeting, parliamentarians heard from Canadian presenters on various topics important to Arctic communities, such as: wildlife and environmental stewardship, the role of the Northwest Passage in future Arctic shipping, mental wellness in Canada’s North, and economic development.

Mr. Tilson, who is also President of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association said, “It was an extremely productive meeting which allowed participants from the Arctic nations to bring together ideas on matters of importance. This meeting is a preview to the topics that will be featured at the Conference of Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region being hosted by Canada, in Whitehorse in September 2014.”

One of the main priorities of the Standing Committee was originally to support the establishment of the Arctic Council. The new organization, representing the eight Arctic states and the European Parliament was founded on September 19, 1996. Since then, the Committee has worked actively to promote the work of the Council. The Committee participates in the meetings of the Arctic Council as an observer.