Q+A: Danish Ambassador Nikolaj Harris on resilience, security and the Arctic in a time of global upheaval

Ambassadors from five nordic countries were in Yellowknife Wednesday for a seminar called "Resilience in the Arctic."

The session was centred on discussions between Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Canada about areas of co-operation in the Arctic. That includes military security, and also economic partnerships, environmental response and emergency preparedness.

But it was impossible for the diplomats to escape the broader geopolitical context, with U.S. President Donald Trump having spent weeks demanding American possession of Greenland for national security reasons, only to abruptly announce yesterday some kind of deal between NATO and his country.

That put Nikolaj Harris, Denmark's ambassador to Canada, in a difficult position, unable to speak directly about a deal that came as a surprise to everyone, including him.

Still, he had plenty to say on areas where Canada and its nordic allies can find common ground in the Arctic.

Harris spoke with Shannon Scott, host of the Yellowknife morning show The Trailbreaker.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This seminar is all about Arctic resilience. I'm wondering what that term means to you.

It means a whole-of-government approach because you need of course the government structures, the military, you know, ministries, municipalities — but you also need the civil society to be engaged and also [the] business [sector]. So when we are beefing up our emergency response and resilience, we now also have mechanisms where we include civil society and we discuss with civil society the issues around the emergency response, but also business.

So we will actually sit around the table and invite business to get their perspective and also their assistance. We also need the individual citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to be involved and to be aware and be engaged. And that is where we try to communicate with them.

How do individual citizens get involved?

It is by communication from the state level. They have received a leaflet with good advice on how to be prepared in an emergency situation — water, electricity, you know, medicine and so on. And what we experienced is that actually our citizens are responding very positively to this advice. And according to the information that I have, 50 per cent of the Danish population, they are adhering to the advice.

You've been in Yellowknife since Monday. You've had meetings with N.W.T. Premier RJ Simpson, with Indigenous groups, with the military, and today this seminar. I'm wondering what the biggest takeaway for you is.

One takeaway is that there's so much we can do together. Areas where we have expertise and can bring things to the table, like how to build infrastructure, housing, roads, ports under these circumstances, because it's harsh circumstances here in the North, and that expertise we have from Greenland where they have similar conditions. So we can bring know-how solutions to the table, but we can also learn from you.

And there are a lot of takeaways that way. I've been discussing that with the premier but also with [Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen]. I urge increased concrete co-operation between the nordic countries on the one hand and the territories on the other.

What do you think the biggest threat is to Arctic resilience right now?

I believe that it's important to see security from a very broad perspective. So, security is not only military defence capabilities – it's important and increasingly so because of the development in the region – but security is much more than that. It's also climate change, economic development, infrastructure.

It is important to include all of these aspects and include local communities in the solutions to all of this. For instance, if you invest in military capabilities it is important also to see how that can benefit the local communities and dual-use infrastructure.

Does what has been happening with the threats against Greenland change how you think about Arctic resiliency?

We have a little bit more emphasis and there is a lot of discussion about the military defence capabilities in the region. And that's all good and natural. Denmark has been beefing up its defence in the region. Last year we invested $19 billion Canadian in defence capabilities in the Arctic.

The Kingdom of Denmark is now [spending] 3.3 per cent of our GDP [on defence]. So we are beefing up our security, but at the same time it's very important also to look at other aspects, as I said, you know, climate change, how to respond to that, economic development, business and so on.

While we were sitting in the news conference here news came out that there was a potential deal with NATO and the United States around Greenland. Obviously it's a changing, volatile situation. How does one plan for resiliency when things can change so dramatically, so quickly?

I didn't see the latest development. I've been in discussions all morning. So, it's a little bit difficult for me to comment. I understand your interest in the issue of Greenland, but I cannot comment on that.

We're seeing things changing at a rapid pace in many situations around the world. How can you, how can a country plan to be resilient when things change so drastically?

I think it comes back to the discussion about the broad sort of notion and approach to security. And there we take quite a lot of inspiration from the Canadian Rangers. And it was very interesting to go and meet and talk to some of them here. Yesterday we went to Joint Task Force North and I had the pleasure of meeting some of the Rangers there. And we are quite inspired by the Rangers and it's a very good concept of enhancing security.

What is it about the Ranger program that inspires you?

I think it is to engage local communities and use the knowledge and the capabilities that they have actively.

I know that there is a communication and a dialogue between Canada and the Kingdom [of Denmark] on how to be inspired of that model in Greenland, for instance.

What role do you see Arctic nations playing on the global stage going forward?

Your Prime Minister has been very clear in his wish to enhance co-operation between Canada and the nordic countries. We have been talking a lot about the common interest we have in the region to build up the region's prosperity, to harvest some of the opportunities, but also to respond to some of the challenges together.

But I also think we share a lot of values and in today's world, I think it's quite important that you increase co-operation with these, and you find these countries where you share interest and values. And we do that, the nordics and Canada.