Latest news with #VirginiaMearns
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
New Arctic ambassador will play a ‘key role' in defending sovereignty: Anand
OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada's new Arctic ambassador will play a key role in preserving sovereignty in the region as the military closely watches the movements of a Chinese icebreaker. Iqaluit resident Virginia Mearns will be Canada's senior Arctic official on the world stage, following a career with local Inuit governments.
6 days ago
- Politics
Iqaluit resident Virginia Mearns named Canada's Arctic ambassador
Headlines Latest News Podcasts (new window) Mearns' appointment Thursday is the latest development in Canada's new Arctic foreign policy Virginia Mearns has been named Canada's Arctic ambassador. She currently serves as senior director of Inuit relations at the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut. Photo: Virginia Mearns/Facebook Prime Minister Mark Carney has named Virginia Mearns, who is Inuk and who has held prominent positions with Inuit organizations, as Canada's Arctic ambassador. Carney made the announcement Thursday morning during an Inuit-Crown partnership committee meeting in Inuvik, N.W.T. Mearns, who lives in Iqaluit, currently serves as senior director of Inuit relations at the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut, including as the deputy minister of executive and intergovernmental affairs. Mearns has also spent over a decade in various roles with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Mearns' appointment Thursday is the latest development in Canada's new Arctic foreign policy (new window) released in December. Canada has also committed to opening new consulates in Alaska and Greenland, supporting science and research in the Arctic and discussing Arctic security with foreign ministers in other northern countries. With files from David Thurton Flames may re-release toxic chemicals in historical mining areas, though risks are unknown: researcher Justice Carroccia says she didn't find complainant's evidence 'credible or reliable' 40 minutes ago Trials & Proceedings After years of complaints in Ontario, Steven Ravbar and Matthew Carapella have resurfaced in B.C. CBC News found several produce ads with conflicting country of origin information Ability to remove watermarks show a systemic vulnerability in defense against deepfakes, says researcher 5 hours ago Artificial Intelligence
CTV News
7 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Ottawa to appoint Virginia Mearns of Iqaluit as Arctic ambassador
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to reporters before attending a meeting of the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, in Inuvik, N.W.T., on Thursday, July 24, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck OTTAWA — The government of Prime Minister Mark Carney is naming its Arctic ambassador today as it seeks deeper ties with circumpolar nations at a time of rising security concerns. The office of Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Virginia Mearns will be the Arctic ambassador and will oversee the foreign policy for the region that Ottawa released last December. That policy calls for science collaboration across the Arctic, tighter security co-ordination and new consulates in both Alaska and Greenland. Those pledges came ahead of the government's announcement of cuts to the foreign service — part of Carney's plan to finance a massive boost in military spending. Carney told an event in Inuvik, N.W.T., this morning that he would be officially announcing the appointment later today. Mearns lives in Iqaluit and has worked within local Inuit governments. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
CBC
7 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Iqaluit resident Virginia Mearns named Canada's Arctic ambassador
Prime Minister Mark Carney has named Inuit leader Virginia Mearns as Canada's Arctic ambassador. Carney made the announcement Thursday morning during an Inuit-Crown partnership committee meeting in Inuvik, N.W.T. Mearns, who lives in Iqaluit, currently serves as senior director of Inuit relations at the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has previously held senior positions with the government of Nunavut, including as the deputy minister of executive and intergovernmental affairs. Mearns has also spent over a decade in various roles with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. Mearns' appointment Thursday is the latest development in Canada's new Arctic foreign policy released in December. Canada has also committed to opening new consulates in Alaska and Greenland, supporting science and research in the Arctic and discussing Arctic security with foreign ministers in other northern countries.
