Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Arreak sent a message to say he's sorry he couldn't present today, but he's given me his blessing to read his testimony on his behalf, as follows.

Qujannamiik. Thank you for inviting me and asking me to speak with you today. My name is Andrew Arreak and I live in Pond Inlet. I am the Nunavut SmartICE operations lead for the Qikiqtaaluk north region.

Climate change is affecting our ice conditions across the north. The ice is not only melting from the top from the heat of the sun, but from the bottom due to warm ocean currents. This is making some ice conditions unpredictable to travel on.

The ice is vital for northern people. We travel on it to go to our hunting grounds and camping sites, and even to travel to see family and other communities. It's part of our identity and it is who we are.

SmartICE is an indigenous-led social enterprise that supports communities in monitoring their own ice conditions and share this information with their community. SmartICE provides training, employment and ice safety information so that we can adapt to changing ice conditions and continue our way of life. We use the latest technology to monitor the ice thickness on the ice from above, using satellites, and utilizing our Inuit knowledge.

I'll be talking to you today about Arctic science and research from a community level, and I'd like to emphasize four important points.

The first is the need for Inuit in leadership positions. The second is the need for co-developed training. The third is the need for community-specific research spaces. The fourth is the need for ongoing funding.

I'll expand on each of these.

Each SmartICE community has a local committee, which decides where and when SmartICE operates.

My committee in Pond Inlet is called Sikumiut. The members are local people who grew up, live and travel on the ice. Some people may think I'm the only one making the decisions, but in fact, I'm following what Sikumiut decides. It's important to have local leadership, because their Inuit knowledge guides me in the different areas I should monitor by season. They also guide me in what information is most important to share and how to communicate using our local dialect and knowledge.

SmartICE provides various types of training programs. I was part of several teams that co-developed the training, because I know how Inuit like to learn.

All of our training is hands-on. It's done in communities, so we don't need to leave our families. We don't need to go south to get a western degree to do research. We also have programs so Inuit can become the next generation of instructors. I am now an instructor, which allows me to deliver this training in English or in my language of Inuktitut.

My second point is that training in communities needs to be co-developed. By working together, we can develop training that not only works for us, but also provides the jobs, skills and information that are needed in our communities. We have shown that the capacity and interest exist, and that we can do a lot of the research ourselves in our own communities.

Thirdly, we need community-specific research spaces. In my community of Pond Inlet, there is one research station and another one being built. None of these were built to meet community research needs. They meet the needs of seasonal researchers from the south, who only come up for two or three months in the summer, but I work and live in the community all year round. I was lucky to get an office in town, but I still lack the space to store and fix my equipment. Most of my Inuit colleagues don't have offices, and must work from home in crowded conditions, which is not a place where people can be very productive.

I've been with SmartICE since it started in 2015, and today, we operate in 36 communities across the Canadian north. SmartICE is still growing because we're providing services to northern communities that are not being provided by governments or universities.

Communities do not pay for our services. SmartICE submits proposals to various agencies and organizations to get funding. This takes up a lot of time, with no guarantees that we can keep operating each year. Therefore, my fourth point is to emphasize the need for northern organizations like SmartICE to have ongoing funding so that we can keep providing these important services to our communities.

In conclusion, northerners are very capable of doing science and research when we are given a chance, are part of the leadership and the training, and have the proper space and funding.

When you truly partner with communities in terms of science and research, you will get the community's support and all parties involved will benefit from the work.

Qujannamiik.