Arctic security is at an inflection point. Intensifying great-power competition, rapid technological change, and accelerating environmental shifts are converging in ways that elevate risks to Canada’s sovereignty, infrastructure, and alliances. While Canada’s strategic lens has often focused on the European Arctic, the North Pacific dimension—particularly with Japan and South Korea—remains under-explored and increasingly consequential.
Against this backdrop APF Canada convened Canadian, U.S., Japanese, and South Korean experts and officials to map shared risks and identify practical avenues for allied interoperability, technology collaboration, and infrastructure protection in the Arctic. APF Canada's Canada–North Pacific Arctic Workshop was organized with funding from the Department of National Defence and featured a day of closed-door roundtables followed by a public panel on January 20, 2026, translating key insights for broader audiences.
Speakers:
- Elizabeth Wishnick, Adjunct Senior Research Scholar, Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University
- Sung-Ho Kang, Principal Research Scientist, Division of Polar Climate Research, Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI)
- Jennifer Spence, Director of the Arctic Initiative, Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
- Natsuhiko Otsuka, Senior Fellow, Sasakawa Peace Foundation
- Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President, Research & Strategy, APF Canada
