Canadian Polar Commission

2.6 Strategic Outcome: Canadian Polar Commission

Increased Canadian polar knowledge.

Financial Resources ($ millions)	Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
Research Facilitation and Coordination	1.0	1.0	1.0

Human Resources (Full-time Equivalents)	Planned	Actual	Difference
Research Facilitation and Coordination	5	5	0

2.6.1 Program Activity – Research Facilitation and Communication

Description

To carry out its mandate, the Commission will initiate, sponsor and support conferences, seminars and meetings; help establish a polar information network as the principal mechanism to disseminate knowledge pertaining to the polar regions; undertake and support special studies related to the polar regions; recognize achievements and contributions related to its mandate; publish newsletters, reports and other publications; and table an annual report in Parliament.

Deliverables and Time Lines – Expected Results and Outputs

Priority

Communicating polar science to Canadians

Expected Result 1

a) Better and timely access by the Canadian public and governments to polar science information.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Requests for publications, newsletters, attendance at events by targeted audience.	Increased use of publications, newsletters, etc. over 2004 levels by targeted audience.	Demand for publications, represented by requests for copies of newsletters and special reports, has increased by approximately 5%.

b) Better awareness by the Canadian public and governments of Canadian and global polar science issues.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Increased recognition of global polar science issues.	Increased recognition of polar issues.	Public recognition of global polar science issues, especially related to climate change and the International Polar Year (IPY), has increased. This is reflected in more media coverage, of these topics and more media requests to the Commission for information (interviews, permission to quote Commission material, etc.)

c) Increased communication on the part of researchers through the dissemination and exchange of information through the Canadian Polar Information Network.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Number of documents posted and transactions by researchers on the Network. Self-assessed feedback from researchers. Use of the Network by researchers.	Increased use and acceptance of the Network beyond 2004 levels.	The number of subscribers to the Canadian Polar Information Network's Polar Science Forum   is now approximately 1300, an increase of 13% over last year. The number of documents posted, has remained approximately the same. The Researcher's Directory, the online database of Canadian polar specialists, now contains over 2000 listings. The Directory   is an established and reliable who's who of Canadian Arctic and Antarctic experts. The Youth section of the website expanded with links to the set of the film The Journals of Knud Rasmussen,   and Sila,   an interactive learning website about the arctic environment.

Output

a) Publication of reports on the state of polar knowledge.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Publications, assessments and various reports published on time and on budget.	All published on time and on budget.	Reports on the International Polar Year (IPY) public consultations were published electronically on the Canadian IPY website   maintained by the Commission.(see below).

b) Publication of Meridian newsletter and the newsletter of the Canadian Antarctic Research Network, to provide current information on polar research to national and international researchers.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Publications published on time and on budget.	All published on time and on budget.	Publications

c) Publication of the Indicators Report.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Publications published on time and on budget.	All published on time and on budget.	This year the Board of Directors reviewed the project and decided that much more detailed information would be required in order for the project to achieve its primary objective of tracking the state of Canadian polar knowledge. This would require several thousand dollars more in annual funding, an expense the Commission cannot afford given that its budget has remained static for nearly ten years. The Board therefore decided to end the Indicators Project.

d) Host various events related to polar research.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Events occur on time and on budget and attendance is drawn from targeted group.	All events occur on time and on budget.	The Polar Commission hosted two public consultation workshops in the North on International Polar Year and an International Polar Year Outreach and Communications workshop in Ottawa (see below).

How did these accomplishments support the priority?

These accomplishments supported the priority by disseminating to Canadians, in electronic and print medias as well as in face to face meetings, information on current developments and discussions relating to polar science.

Priority

Strengthening Canada's presence in international circumpolar organizations

Expected Result 1

a) Maintains Canada's position as a leading polar nation.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Canadian research priorities reflected in international polar research efforts including International Polar Year 2007–08.	International Polar Year held in 2007–08. Maintain or increase the number of Canadians represented on international organizations and committees or leading projects.	The human dimension in polar research is a significant Canadian priority which will be well represented in International Polar Year research. The number of Canadians represented on international organizations and committees or leading projects has been maintained. This year the Commission Board of Directors chose a new Canadian council member for the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), a position vacated by former Commission chairperson Dr. Peter Johnson. The new Canadian IASC Council member for the next four years is Dr. Grant Ingram, (Physical Oceanography, University of British Columbia).

b) Cooperation among government organizations to strengthen Canada's presence in the international research community.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Work on developing new partnerships and maintaining existing partnerships to facilitate collaboration and cooperation on research programs and initiatives (e.g., Assistant Deputy Ministers' Committee on Northern Science and Technology).	Existing partnerships maintained and new ones developed.	With support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Polar Commission continued its series of International Polar Year public consultation sessions.

Output

a) Continue to lead Canada's preparations for International Polar Year 2007–08.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Preparations are conducted on time and on budget.	All preparations conducted on time and on budget.	The Polar Commission continued to manage the financial contributions of ten federal departments and agencies from the Associate Deputy Ministers' Committee on Northern Science and Technology to support the Canadian National International Polar Year Committee and Secretariat.

b) Participate in international committees and initiatives on polar research and circumpolar issues.

Participate and provide support for organizations such as the Northern Dimension of Canada's Foreign Policy, the University of the Arctic, the Arctic Council, the International Arctic Science Committee, the Northern Research Forum and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Representation and attendance at committee, council meetings, initiatives, etc.	Attendance and support at a minimum at 2004 levels.	The Commission worked with the steering committee of the Northern Research Forum (NRF) on the fourth Open Meeting, to be held in October 2006 in Finland and Sweden, and with the Arctic Council. The Commission also provided advice to the Interdepartmental Network on International Science and Technology. At the Arctic Science Summit Week, held in March in Potsdam, Germany, the Commission represented Canada at the International Arctic Science Committee Regional Board Meeting. The Commission was among the partners in the planning process for the second International Conference on Arctic Research Planning (ICARP 2) which brought together over 450 scientists, policy makers, research managers, Indigenous representatives, and others interested in the future of arctic research. The Commission hosted the Secretariat of the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group, and provided office space to GRID-Arendal, the key polar centre for the United Nations Environment Program as an in-kind contribution to help Canada meet its commitment to the ECORA project (Integrated Ecosystem Approach to Conserve Biodiversity and Minimize Habitat Fragmentation in the Russian Arctic). The Commission continued to work with the Canadian Committee for Antarctic Research (CCAR) toward a more active Canadian presence in the south polar region.

How did these accomplishments support the priority?

These accomplishments supported the priority by strengthening Canada's presence in international circumpolar organizations through active involvement in international meetings and through taking the lead in Canada's International Polar Year preparations. Canada is playing a significant part in this endeavour; a significant proportion of the International Polar Year research proposals have come from Canada.

priority

Promotion and advocacy with respect to polar knowledge in Canada

Expected Result 1

a) Strong Canadian research presence in International Polar Year 2007–08.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Development, with partners, of Canadian science program and research plan for International Polar Year.	Meet established timeline.	The Commission continued promoting and communicating information on the International Polar Year (IPY) to Canadians. Building on its IPY work over the past two years, the Commission held two more IPY consultation workshops, in Churchill Manitoba and Inuvik, Northwest Territories.

b) Increased federal government support for implementing a Canadian Antarctic Research Program.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Movement toward adoption by the federal government of a Canadian Antarctic Research Program.	Progress toward federal government adoption of program by end of 2005–06.	The Commission continued its efforts on this regard by supporting the Canadian Committee for Antarctic Research. Developing the framework for a Canadian Antarctic Research Program remains as a major topic for the Committee.

c) Increased federal government support for creating a National Polar Research Strategy.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Movement toward the creation of a national polar research strategy at the federal, provincial and territorial level.	Progress toward federal government support for strategy by end of 2005–06.	The new Board of Directors formally established as one of its two main priorities for the next three years that the Commission will study, coordinate and advocate for a polar science policy for Canada. Such a policy would account for current and probable future information needs, and identify priorities for Canadian polar research.

Output

Participating in committees, liaising with research institutes, working on federal committees, hosting conferences and workshops.

Indicators	Targets/Timing	Actual Results
Demonstrations of support, and membership in and attendance at committees, research institutes, etc.	Ongoing.	The Commission continued to collaborate with the university community through the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, the Arctic Institute of North America, and the Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network. The Commission worked with the Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies, sponsoring a northern research scholarship. This year's recipient was Kate Hennessy, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia, whose thesis deals with museum repatriation and collaborative digital media in northern Athapaskan communities. The Commission also collaborated with the Northern Science and Technology Working Group, which coordinates northern science and technology programs and activities among federal government departments.

How did these accomplishments support the priority?

These accomplishments supported the priority through promotion and advocacy with regard to strengthening the Canadian International Polar Year effort, continued work toward the Canadian Antarctic Research Program and a national polar science strategy, and the encouragement of excellence in student polar research.