Publications

This study is the pilot project for the WAGE Circumpolar Partnership, a SSHRC funded project, the objective of which is to better understand social and economic inequalities across the circumpolar Arctic. In particular, this research seeks to identify the income composition of households, governments, and corporations at the subnational level across the circumpolar region. The chapter on households identifies similarities and differences of income composition for individuals on a per capita basis. Data was collected from the national and regional accounts of the relevant national statistics agencies for five indicators: primary income, total transfers received, total income, total transfers paid, and disposable income in order to identify areas of income inequality. The data shows that, on average, individuals in the North American North earn the most income, followed by individuals residing in the northern Nordic regions and then in northern Russia, although there are variations within the regional blocs. For example, the average disposable income per capita for Greenland is closer to that found in Russia, while the average disposable income per capita in Yamal Nenets is similar to that in the Nordic regions. Moreover, the amount of transfers paid and received varies from one region to another and often plays an important role in reducing inequalities between regions within a country. Data for governments and corporations was harder to obtain. For governments, comparable data is not publicly available for all regions, meaning that a circumpolar comparison is not possible. For corporations, data at the regional level is also not available due to the tax location of many larger corporations and the need for such data to remain anonymous. The chapters on governments and corporations therefore suggest areas for future research. The disparities in data between the three actors/sectors constitute a challenge if we hope to achieve a fuller understanding of income composition and how this affects inequality. As such, future research will need to consider different methodological approaches to perform analyses in these areas. For example, researchers will likely need to develop relationships with the national statistics agencies in order to gain access to data that is not publicly available, while case studies can be used to obtain a better understanding of the corporation sector.

Le présent projet de Construction des indices de prix du Nunavik vise à tabler sur les connaissances acquises pour développer des mesures rigoureuses pouvant être calculées périodiquement. Ce projet comporte trois objectifs principaux. Premièrement, il vise à suivre l’évolution des prix à la consommation au Nunavik dans le temps ; ceci doit mener à la construction d’un Indice des prix à la consommation du Nunavik (IPCN). Deuxièmement, il vise à suivre l’écart des prix à la consommation entre le Nunavik et le Québec ; ceci doit mener à la construction d’un Indice comparatif Nunavik-Québec (ICNQ). Troisièmement, il vise à évaluer l’impact des mesures de réduction du coût de la vie sur les indices de prix. En outre, des analyses ad hoc seront réalisées afin d’améliorer le programme.

This Nunavik Price Indices Construction project aims to build on the knowledge gained to develop rigorous measures that can be calculated periodically. It has three main objectives. First, it aims to track the evolution of consumer prices in Nunavik over time; this should lead to the construction of a Nunavik Consumer Price Index (NCPI). Second, it aims to track the consumer price gap between Nunavik and Québec; this should lead to the construction of a NunavikQuébec Comparative Index (NQCI). Third, it aims to evaluate the impact of cost-of-living reduction measures on price indices. In addition, ad hoc analyses will be conducted to improve the program.

The objectives of the present report are: (i) to document food insecurity status among Nunavimmiut aged 16 years and older using both the same method used in the Qanuippitaa? 2004 Inuit health survey and an adapted version of the USDA Household Food Security Survey Module; (ii) to document food preferences, strategies used when individuals could not gain access to enough food, and food sharing behaviours; and (iii) to examine differences between groups and associations with key socio-demographic characteristics in Nunavik regarding food insecurity status, food preferences, coping strategies used, and food sharing behaviours.

Using the Canadian census as our main source of data, this report analyzes the employment situation in Nunavik, describes the main trends in employment over the last 20 years, and explores the relationship between employment levels and various factors that may help to account for the differences observed among the different Inuit communities in Québec.

Le but de cette publication, qui constitue une mise à jour améliorée et élargie du Nunavik en chiffres 2015, est de diffuser le plus facilement et le plus largement possible des données statistiques clés sur la région la plus septentrionale du Québec, telles que la population, l'emploi, la scolarité, le revenu, les prix, les logements et la santé. Cette nouvelle édition contient également une section consacrée à quelques faits saillants pour chacun des villages du Nunavik. Les données apparaissant au Nunavik en chiffres 2020 sont les plus à jour disponibles au moment de la publication.

Pour étudier l'incidence et la persistance de la pauvreté au sein des communautés des Premières Nations, nous avons établi les mesures et les taux de faible revenu pour l’ensemble des communautés des Premières Nations du Canada de 2006 à 2016. Nous avons documenté les tendances des inégalités de revenu en calculant les coefficients de Gini et la distribution par quintiles de revenu après impôt des communautés des Premières Nations pour 2006, 2011 et 2016. Finalement, nous avons comparé les mesures établies selon trois indicateurs : 1) le lieu de résidence, à savoir sur réserve ou hors réserve, 2) l’identité autochtone, en distinguant Autochtone et allochtone, et 3) le type de traité signé correspondant à chaque communauté, soit historique ou moderne.

The purpose of this publication, which is an improved and expanded update of Nunavik in Figures 2015, is to disseminate as easily and broadly as possible key statistical data on the northernmost region of Québec, such as population, employment, education, income, prices, dwellings, and health. This new edition also contains a section dedicated to some highlights for each of the Nunavik villages. The data appearing in Nunavik in Figures 2020 is the most up-to-date available at the time of publication.

This chapter updates and extends the previous comparative study of socio-economic and social conditions across the circumpolar Arctic, by comparing the situation in 2018 and 2012. Comparing the indicators over time allows us to verify whether the socio-economic models of the three geographical groups are still relevant. The socio-economic models are shaped by different factors, including political structures, emphasis on different economic industries, and transportation systems. The updated results continue to indicate that differences between the three geographical groups are shrinking, although there are increasing internal inequalities in some regions.

The objective of The Economy of the North – ECONOR 2020 is to present a comprehensive overview of the economy of the circumpolar Arctic, including the traditional production activities of the Indigenous Peoples. The report has been produced as part of the ECONOR IV project, undertaken under the Sustainable Deve lopment Working Group (SDWG) in the Arctic Council. The ECONOR IV project was carried out with Norway as lead country, Canada and the United States as co-leads among the Arctic states, and the Saami Council as co-lead among the Permanent Participants.

To study the incidence and persistence of poverty within First Nations communities, we established the low income measures and low income rates for all First Nations communities in Canada from 2006 to 2016. We documented the trends in income inequality by calculating the Gini coefficients and the quintile distributions of after-tax income of First Nations communities for the years 2006, 2011 and 2016. And lastly, we compared these measures using three indicators: 1) place of residence, on- or off-reserve; 2) Aboriginal identity, distinguishing between Aboriginals vs. non-Aboriginals; and 3) the type of treaty signed by each community, historic or modern.

The scientific report Arctic Policies and Strategies - Analysis, Synthesis and Trends delivers a holistic analysis of the policies, strategies, and declarations of the relevant Arctic stakeholders. It also includes new and/or emerging trends of Arctic governance and geopolitics in the early 21st century. The analysis, using quantitative and qualitative methods, is based on a coding of the text of 56 policy documents (in 1996-2019), namely: i) the strategies and policies of the Arctic States and the Arctic Council Observer States; ii) the policies and declarations of the Arctic Indigenous peoples' organizations (Permanent Participants); and iii) the main Arctic Council chairmanship programs and ministerial declarations. It considers how different Arctic actors define and address issues around the following: the human dimension, governance, international cooperation, environmental protection, pollution, climate change, security, safety, economy, tourism, infrastructure, and science & education. Each document was read and analyzed thoroughly; quotes were selected and coded and then used to compare and contrast (percentage-wise) how the different documents address the above issues. For each category of stakeholder, the findings are compared within the category and then discussed with each other category-wise. Our study shows that the most-coded quotes of the Arctic States' policy documents relate to the Governance, Economy, International Cooperation, and Human Dimension indicators, as well as to a new Environmental Protection indicator (composed of Environmental Protection coupled with Pollution and Climate Change). The policy documents of the four Indigenous peoples' organizations explicitly address issues surrounding Indigenous rights, although in different contexts, and also those related to the Governance indicator, both broadly and in detail. Unsurprisingly, all these documents emphasize the importance of 'Traditional knowledge.' The most-quoted indicator in the Arctic policies/strategies of the nine Arctic Council Observer states is the Science and Education indicator, followed by the International Cooperation and Economy indicators. The fourth most-quoted is the new Environmental Protection indicator (composed of Environmental Protection coupled with Pollution and Climate Change). The analyses generated a separate list of new/emerging trends for each stakeholder, summarizing the current main themes and concluding trends. Based on these, there here follows a short list of the overall new and/or emerging trends of the future of Arctic governance and geopolitics: i) Ambivalence of Arctic development, including 'political inability,' whenever a balance is sought between environmental protection and economic activities; ii) The domination of States within the Arctic territory due to geopolitical stability and sovereignty vis-à-vis internationalization/globalization, and due to international treaties and self-determination; iii) Focus on science, with all Arctic stakeholders being dependent on scientific research and international cooperation in science for problem-solving due to climate change; and iv) Close interrelationship between the Arctic and Space (e.g., digital security, satellites, meteorology) due to globalization and rapidly advancing climate change in the Arctic.