ABSTRACT
The early 2000s marked a time of great uncertainty for Canada’s North. The effects of climate change on Canada’s Arctic security and sovereignty were unclear, with some experts being reassuring while others were pessimistic or alarmist. This chapter focuses on how the Canadian Arctic was framed during this time period in the Canadian press. More specifically, the attention is devoted to analysing the opinions and identity of experts (scholars, bureaucrats, civil society leaders, etc.) interviewed in journalistic articles. Empirical evidence highlights that journalists sought to balance expert opinions defending optimistic and pessimistic outlooks on the future of Canada’s Arctic security and sovereignty. On the other hand, pessimistic accounts were more prevalent overall as journalists themselves favoured this assessment without relying on expert opinions. This selection set a context conducive to the sovereignty crises that occurred in the second half of the 2000s.
