Aboriginal self-determination and resource development activity - Environmental and Human Security in the Arctic - page 189

to land is clarified. In contrast, the motivating factor for many Aboriginal
peoples is the desire to regain control over land and increase local decision-
making power.
For the most part, modern-day treaties are the outcome of comprehensive
land claims and, as such, form the basis for a new relationship between the
state and Aboriginal peoples. In terms of what they entail, comprehensive
claims focus on two main items: (1) land that is necessary to keep culture
alive and dynamic; and (2) cash that is intended to make business (as opposed
to government) the primary engine for economic growth. Comprehensive
claims can also include co-management regimes, environmental assessment
panels, resources and royalty-sharing arrangements. A clear purpose therefore
is enhanced socio-economic amelioration of Aboriginal peoples. The notion
that land claims will clarify matters of title is tied to the notion that capital-
ists require certainty for development projects to occur and corporations are
attracted to areas where ownership of land is not an issue for development.
Where outstanding claims persist, there is too much uncertainty, which rep-
resents an undesirable investment environment (Slowey 2008). Unresolved
territorial disputes also pose a potential threat to Canada's national security,
as uncertainty over who owns the land could, theoretically at least, undermine
Canada's claim to Arctic lands. Hence, as Canada spreads its message to the
world that a considerable portion of the Arctic is Canadian territory inhabited
by Canadian citizens, land claims further bolster this claim by eliminating
any uncertainty as to who owns the land, who lives in the Arctic and which
state ultimately and legitimately oversees both.
Land claims are also, however, about improving the human security of
Aboriginal peoples. Though the traditional notion of security is associated
with the promotion of state sovereignty, it is also about protecting citizens.
That is, the notion of security is tied not only to the state but extends also to
its citizens. Hence security is not exclusively about the state in the same way
that human security is not exclusively about citizens; rather, security, be it
traditional or human, is about the relationship that exists between the state
and its citizens. For instance, in matters of national security, the protection
of land remains essential. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Arctic
where, because of its vastness, the state relies heavily on the local Aboriginal
people. In particular, the Canadian Rangers are a reserve sub-component of
the Canadian Armed Forces that consist primarily of local, Aboriginal peo-
ples who volunteer their time to perform surveillance and sovereignty patrols
across the Canadian Arctic. Representing much of the military presence in the
region, the Rangers serve in part as the eyes and ears of the nation, as well as
support for local people as well as visitors, by doing integral work in search
and rescue.
For Aboriginal peoples in the Arctic (and elsewhere in the world) the land
remains critical, as it is the central element of many Arctic peoples' culture,
representing both their past and their future. As Connie Deiter and Darlene