Greenland and Canada strengthens mineral and energy cooperation

In December 2025, the Danish government announced that Greenlandic women who had an Intrauterine Device (IUD) inserted without consent during the period 1960-1991 could receive 300,000 DKK in compensation.

The Danish Ministry of Interior and Health has previously stated that approximately 4,500 women may be eligible for compensation.

A special travel team will travel from Denmark to Greenland during the autumn to help women seek compensation in the IUD case.

This was reported by the Danish Patient Compensation Agency to the Danish news agency DR.

The first round trip will begin at the end of September. The team plans two more rounds in 2027.

The new Danish government has presented the basis for its work over the next four years, with a strong focus on Greenland.

Investments, historical studies and greater Greenlandic influence are what the new Danish government promises Greenland. The input is well received by the parliamentarians Naaja H. Nathanielsen (IA) and Qarsoq Høegh-Dam (N).

This is reported by KNR.

“The last few years have shown what it means when we stand together,” said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Social Democrats) when she presented her new government.

The positive feedback is not only about the recognition of Greenland’s right to self-determination. The concrete promises of investment and development also play a role in the politicians’ assessment of the new government’s basis.

The government consists of the Social Democrats, the Liberal Democrats, the Moderates and the Radical Left with Mette Frederiksen, the chair of the Social Democrats, as prime minister. This is her third term.

In the new government basis, there are a number of things that Denmark will do to strengthen cooperation in the Confederation of Danish Industries.

This must also be done on Greenlandic terms.

This week, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, is visiting Nuuk to strengthen the EU's partnership with Greenland and discuss the update of the union's Arctic strategy.

Síkela is leading the work on the renewal of the strategy and has had meetings with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Múte B. Egede, Naalakkersuisoq (Minister) for Foreign Affairs, Business and Mineral Resources.

This autumn, the European Commission proposed doubling support for Greenland in the Union's long-term budget for 2028-2034. The discussions have covered the EU's expected investment package and cooperation in fields such as sustainable value chains for raw materials, renewable energy, digital infrastructure, and sustainable tourism.

The Commissioner has also met with local businesses and civil society representatives and is participating in the business conference Future Greenland 2026.

In recent months, the US has held regular consultations with Denmark and Greenland about expanding its military presence in Greenland, anonymous US officials told BCC.

According to BBC sources, the US wants to establish three bases in southern Greenland to monitor Russian and Chinese maritime activity. The closed Narsarsuaq air base is mentioned as a possible option. Washington D.C. has also proposed that these should become sovereign US territory, one of the sources said.

“We will not give away a stamp of our territory. That would be a red line,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (Demokraatit) told Danish TV2 on Tuesday.

Nielsen also stated that he could envisage an increased US presence in Greenland.

The US desire for access to three new areas on the island became known in March when the head of the US Northern Command, General Gregory M. Guillot, spoke at a hearing in the Senate Defense Committee.

Nordland County Council in Northern Norway is calling for an extraordinary meeting of the Regional Power Forum on Tuesday, April 28. This comes after the system operator of the Norwegian power system, Statnet, announced that all new power-intensive activity over 5 MW will be put on hold in large parts of Northern Norway.

The measure is causing unrest in the business community and raising questions about future development and investments in the region, a press release states.

At the meeting, Statnett will explain the situation and justify the need for the measure. County Councilor for Industry Svein Øien Eggesvik (Centre Party) says the goal is to clarify the consequences and ensure a better basis for further work.

Representatives of the Storting and the county council leader have also been invited to ensure broad political support.

The Norwegian and Canadian coast guards have signed a new cooperation agreement, which will strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the Arctic.

The agreement was signed during the Arctic Coast Guard Forum in Copenhagen last week.

In a post on Facebook, the Norwegian Navy informs that the agreement facilitates increased and long-term cooperation in education, training and exchange of personnel.

This is part of a broader international effort to strengthen security, preparedness and situational awareness in the Arctic, it further states.

Other states that participated in the forum in Copenhagen were Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and the USA.

Researchers have identified 37 subglacial lakes beneath glaciers in Canada's Arctic, 35 of them previously unknown, according to CBC News.

The study has revealed a hidden water system that could help scientists better understand how glaciers move and lose ice.

Scientists say knowing where the lakes are, and how they fill and drain, could improve our understanding of how quickly glaciers are melting and sea levels are rising. The lakes form a complex network of interconnected water bodies flowing beneath the ice, largely hidden until now.

In March, the Norwegian business Holmøy Havbruk lost 9,300 salmon after a slush flow at their facility in Fiskefjorden in Lødingen municipality, Northern Norway. According to the company, the fish probably died from acute poisoning when the avalanche masses hit the cages.

"Fortunately, reports of landslides that have hit fish farms or had negative consequences for the fish are rare," says Aud Skrudland from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority to iLaks.

This is also confirmed by the Directorate of Fisheries.

"This type of incident can occur, but very rarely," says Communications Director Anette Aase, who emphasizes that most facilities are located far enough from mountain slopes to avoid the risk of avalanches.

Avalanches have nevertheless led to consequences in the past. Troms County Council refers to facilities having had to be moved after avalanches, and recalls an incident in 2021 where a facility with 1.2 million fish was hit in the Alta fjord.

As a measure to increase voter turnout, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) gave out $100 vouchers to Inuits who voted in the presidential election.

The scheme had an immediate effect: Voter turnout increased from 18 percent in 2022 to 66 percent in 2024, NTI CEO Kilikvak Kabloona told CBC News.

The voucher program is now becoming permanent.

At the same time, NTI is introducing stricter rules: Only Inuit-owned businesses with a physical presence in Nunavut can accept the vouchers in the upcoming by-election.

This is drawing criticism from the Kivalliq Chamber of Commerce, which believes that online Inuit businesses are being unfairly excluded.

“It should be up to the people, it should be up to the Inuit, to decide where they want to spend that voucher,” says President Tara Qunngaataq Tootoo Fotheringham.

NTI responds that the intention is to ensure that the values remain in local communities.

Last week, production began at the Canadian Davie's shipyard in Quebec of the Polar Max icebreaker, one of two new polar icebreakers being constructed for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Polar Max, expected to be delivered by 2030, is part of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) that Canada, Finland and the United States signed in 2024.

Construction of the Polar Max hull began at Davie's shipyard in Helsinki, Finland, in August 2025.

The second new Canadian icebreaker is being built at Seaspan's shipyard in Vancouver.

"In a region shaped by rapid climate and geopolitical change, these vessels will play a vital role in Canada’s Arctic future. Flying the Canadian flagyear‑round in Arctic waters, they will strengthen our sovereignty, support maritime safety and security, and provide the essential services northern communities and Arctic science rely onfor decades to come," says David J. McGuinty, Canada’s Minister of National Defense.

In Tuesday's new elections to the Danish Parliament, two new members were elected from Greenland: Naaja H. Nathanielsen of Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) and Qarsoq Høegh-Dam of Naleraq.

With this, Nathanielsen leaves her position as Greenland's Naalakkersuisoq (Minister) for Industry, Energy, Raw Materials, Justice and Gender Equality. She replaces IA's long-time parliamentary representative Aaja Chemnitz.

"I believe that the time has come for a reform of the structure of the kingdom. It is not about division, but about securing the future", Nathanielsen wrote on Linkedin as part of his election campaign.

IA became the largest Greenlandic party in the election with 6133 votes, followed by Naleraq (5268), Demokraatit (3767), Siumut (3515) and Atassut (2290). The voter turnout in Greenland was 52.3%.

Enhanced Canadian-Norwegian cooperation is being rolled out in new areas following Canadian Prime Minister Mike Carney's (Liberal) visit to Norway in mid-March.

Now the countries are aiming for increased cooperation in the field of research, not least when it comes to Arctic research.

This is stated in a new joint statement, launched in connection with the visit of the Norwegian Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland (Labour) to Canada this week.

"We live in turbulent times and Canada is among our most important allies. Quantum technology, AI and Arctic research are crucial for both security and competitiveness, and are areas where we want even closer cooperation with Canada", says Aasland.

The Greenland government is launching new measures to support so-called legally fatherless people - people born out of wedlock who, before 1974, did not have the right to know their father, inherit from him or take his surname. Before the law amendment, there was no obligation to be a father in Greenland.

The measures include free legal advice, the opportunity to file paternity cases, therapy services and a new telephone line available in both Greenland and Denmark. The authorities are also travelling around the country to meet those affected and organize information meetings.

Minister for Children, Youth, Families and Internal Affairs, Nivi Olsen, explains to KNR that the initiatives are intended to both acknowledge and correct past injustices.

"We cannot change history, but we can acknowledge it and offer a helping hand to those who want help understanding their background and compiling their own history," she says in a written response to KNR.

This time, those affected themselves have been involved in designing the measures. DKK 9.7 million has been allocated for the work in the period 2026–2029.

The president of Aurora College, Angela James, has retired from her position effective immediately.

This was reported in a press release from the university, which is located in the Canadian Northwest Territories.

James took office in August 2024 for a five-year period and was to lead the college "into the next phase of transformation into a polytechnic university."

The college's board did not provide a reason for her early retirement.

The Nordic countries and Canada are intensifying their cooperation in the areas of defence, security, resilience and green economic growth.

This was reported by the Norwegian Office of the Prime Minister in a press release.

At the Nordic-Canadian summit in Oslo today, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney together with Prime Ministers Mette Fredriksen of Denmark, Ulf Kristersson of Sweden, Petteri Orpo of Finland and Kristrún Frostadóttir of Iceland.

‘The Nordic countries and Canada have a great deal in common. We are all Arctic states and close NATO Allies, and we have many shared values and interests. Today, we have agreed to further deepen our cooperation in order to safeguard our security and create new opportunities for economic growth,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

In a joint statement, the six Prime Ministers acknowledge that we are living in a time of heightened geopolitical tension, war and climate change, and reaffirmed that they are united in viewing international cooperation based on international law, shared values and interests as the best way to strengthen our common security and prosperity.

‘Canada and the Nordic countries work hard every day to enhance security in the Arctic, and we support the efforts to strengthen the Allied presence through NATO. For Norway, it is vital to build vibrant local communities in the north – communities where people want to live and that enhance our national security and preparedness,’ said Mr Støre.

In a world where technology and international trade are increasingly being used as coercive tools, high priority will be given to economic security, job creation and green economic growth as the Nordic countries and Canada work to strengthen their cooperation.

‘The Nordic countries and Canada are committed to democracy, the rule of law and international law. We firmly support Ukraine in its legitimate fight to defend itself against Russia’s illegal and brutal war, and we call on all members of the Coalition of the Willing to increase their support,’ said Mr Støre.

Monday, the Arctic Winter Games kicked off in Whitehorse, Canada.

The games bring about 2,000 participants from Arctic nations together over the next week to compete in 20 sports.

The Arctic Winter Games were founded in 1969 and are a biennial multi-sport and indigenous cultural event involving circumpolar peoples residing in communities or countries bordering the Arctic Ocean.

"Norway and Canada have a close relationship and have much in common. In a time of increasing geopolitical unrest, it is important to strengthen trade policy cooperation. Canada offers good opportunities for Norwegian companies, and Norway is also an attractive country for Canadian investments. Closer trade cooperation will be good for both countries," says the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth in a press release.

Norway and the three other EFTA countries, Switzerland, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, have a trade agreement with Canada. The agreement dates from 2008 and mainly covers trade in industrial goods, fish and seafood.

"Norway believes it is time to modernize and update the free trade agreement between the EFTA countries and Canada. We believe the agreement should be expanded to also apply to trade in services, business establishment and public procurement, among other things. It is positive that the EFTA countries and Canada are planning a meeting during the first half of 2026 for further negotiations on this," says Myrseth.

The Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, said NATO must turn its focus to the North at a major defence and security conference in Ottawa on Wednesday.

This was reported by CBC.

"Last August, I raised the point about ensuring that NATO has efforts that are geared towards Arctic security and protection, and my foreign minister colleagues around that table, the Nordic Five, agreed with me wholeheartedly," she said.

The Nordic Five includes Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden.

Anand said Canada wants a NATO Arctic strategy that is more comprehensive than the Arctic Sentry mission launched earlier this year, and that includes a permanent presence in the region.

She said she planned to discuss the topic with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte later in the day.

On Wednesday, a delegation from the Canadian parliament, led by Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia, visited Norway.

This was reported by the Norwegian parliament, which is hosting the visit.

The Canadian delegation's agenda includes a number of political meetings, such as with the parliament president (speaker), as well as members of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and the delegation for Arctic parliamentarian cooperation.

"Canada and Norway share democratic values, have historical ties and are close allies. Our relationship becomes increasingly important in these uncertain times. As Arctic coastal states, we see the need for closer cooperation in the North," says the Norwegian parliament president Masud Gharahkhani (Labor).