In partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, we are honoured to present Greenland, NATO, and the Future of the North. This full-day event will delve into the geopolitical significance of Greenland and NATO’s strategic positioning in the Arctic. Discussions will highlight Germany’s contributions to Arctic security and its role within NATO, alongside Canada’s evolving stance in the region. Special thanks to Trent University and Arctic360 for their contributions to the programming.
Download the program by clicking the link below. [updated April 28, 2025]
Meet Our Speakers
(in order of appearance)
Bernd Althusman
Dr. Bernd Althusmann is a senior German politician with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as Deputy Minister-President and Minister for Economic Affairs in Lower Saxony (2017–2022), and earlier as Minister of Education (2010–2013). A former army officer and political scientist, he led the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s office in Namibia and Angola before returning as CDU state chairman. As of 2024, he heads the Foundation’s office in Canada, based in Ottawa.
Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon
Dr. Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History (University of Toronto), a Senior Fellow at Massey College, and a Professor Emerita of Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, where she taught graduate and undergraduate courses in international relations. Her publications include Breaking the Ice: Canada, Sovereignty, and the Arctic Extended Continental Shelf; Canada and the Maritime Arctic: Boundaries, Shelves, and Waters; Canada and the Beijing Conference on Women: Governmental Politics and NGO Participation; Canada and the International Seabed: Domestic Determinants and External Constraints; The Domestic Mosaic: Interest Groups and Canadian Foreign Policy; The State of the United Nations, 1993: North-South Perspectives; International Relations in the Post-Cold War Era; as well as numerous articles and chapters. She has served as Chair of the Department of Political Science (Western), Vice President of the Academic Council on the United Nations System; Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Museum of Ontario Archaeology; Executive Member of the Board of the Canadian Political Science Association; Chair of the Academic Committee of the Board of Directors of the Lester B. Pearson Canadian International Peacekeeping Centre; member of the Executive Committee of the Victoria University Senate; member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian International Council, of Massey College and of the Canadian Pugwash Group.
Michael Byers
Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. He is also the Co-Director of the Outer Space Institute. Dr. Byers has been a Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University; Professor of Law at Duke University; Visiting Professor at the universities of Cape Town, Tel Aviv, Nord (Norway) and Novosibirsk (Russia) as well as the Geneva Graduate Institute; and Senior Global Fellow at the University of St Andrews. He is a two-time winner of the Donner Prize for the best book on public policy by a Canadian, for International Law and the Arctic (2013) and Who Owns Outer Space? (2023).
Ernie Regher
Ernie Regehr is Senior Fellow in Defence Policy and Arctic Security with The Simons Foundation Canada, and is Research Fellow at the Centre for Peace Advancement, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo. He is co-founder and former Executive Director of Project Ploughshares.
Franklyn Griffiths
Franklyn Griffiths is one of Canada’s early scholars of Arctic international relations. Now professor emeritus and George Ignatieff Chair Emeritus of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto, he helped shape the West’s understanding of Soviet politics through his seminal writings on Russian affairs. He also played a prominent role in the formation of the Arctic Council, advocating direct Indigenous participation as a key tenet of circumpolar co-operation.
Peter Boehm
Senator Peter M. Boehm, born in Kitchener, Ontario, is a seasoned diplomat and public servant with a Ph.D. in History and extensive experience in international affairs. He served as Canada’s Ambassador to Germany, held senior roles in Global Affairs, and was the Prime Minister’s Sherpa for multiple G7, G8, and Summit of the Americas meetings. A recipient of top public service awards, he was appointed to the Senate in 2018 and now chairs the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
John English
John English is a distinguished Canadian historian, author, and public servant. A former Liberal MP for Kitchener (1993–1997), he has held leadership roles at the University of Waterloo, CIGI, and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. He served as Special Ambassador for Landmines and Special Envoy for Canada’s UN Security Council campaign, and chaired the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum. A biographer of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, he is a Member of the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Society, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Canadian International Council (CIC).
Christian Keldsen
Christian Keldsen is the CEO at Greenland´s largest NGO, the Greenland Business Association. He has a strong background in the Greenland business community as well as an international outlook. He has had management positions with Air Greenland and was one of the founders of the success Visiobox Consulting which is one of the leading Greenlandic consulting firms. He is the honorary consul for Great Britain and Northern Ireland and generally involved in the local community in Greenland. He holds several board positions in Greenland.
Madeleine Redfern
Madeleine Redfern is an Indigenous leader from Iqaluit, Nunavut, with over 35 years of experience in governance, advocacy, and community development. A trailblazer and strong social advocate, she is the Interim CEO of the Native Women’s Association of Canada and was the first Inuit law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. She has served as Mayor of Iqaluit, Executive Director of the Qikiqtani Truth Commission, and has held leadership roles in numerous Inuit and Indigenous organizations. Redfern is a recipient of the Indspire Award for Public Service, recognizing her deep commitment to advancing the rights and wellbeing of Indigenous and northern communities.
Abbie Tingstad
Dr. Abbie Tingstad is a leading expert in Arctic governance, security, and environmental policy. She serves as a visiting professor of Arctic research at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Center for Arctic Study and Policy (CASP), where her work focuses on Arctic cooperation, high-latitude hazards, and the integration of physical and social sciences in polar regions. Dr. Tingstad is also an adjunct physical scientist at the RAND Corporation, contributing to defense, homeland security, and environmental strategy research since 2010. She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Geography from UCLA and an MSc in Environmental Geomorphology from the University of Oxford. Her recent research includes analyses of U.S. Arctic military capabilities, extended continental shelf claims, digital modernization, and foresight methodologies such as analytic gaming.
David Zimmer
David Zimmer is a Canadian public servant and lawyer, renowned for his extensive contributions to Indigenous relations and public policy. He served as Ontario’s Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation from 2013 to 2018, becoming the longest-serving minister in that role. Representing Willowdale as a Member of Provincial Parliament across four terms, Zimmer also held positions as Parliamentary Assistant to various Attorneys General and ministers. Before his political tenure, he was Assistant Deputy Chair of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and chaired the Toronto Community Housing Corporation. In 2019, Zimmer joined Aurora Strategy Group as a Principal, continuing his advocacy for Indigenous communities and contributing his vast experience in government relations.
Heather Nicol
Heather Nicol is the Director of the School for the Study of Canada and a Professor of Geography in the School of the Environment at Trent University. Her research is focused upon exploring the dynamics which structure the political geography of the circumpolar North, with a specific focus on the North American Arctic and Canada-US relations. Her work is focused upon cross-border relations, tensions, geopolitical narratives and mappings of power and sovereignty. She is currently exploring both the history of circumpolar geopolitics in relation to globalization, security, environment, and polar governance. Nicol is a Fulbright Scholar and was the 2015-16 Visiting Fulbright Chair to the University of Washington, at the Centre for Canadian Studies and the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies.
David Newland
David Newland is a musician, writer, and scholar, currently working on a Phd in Canadian Studies at Trent University. David won the 2023 prize for Best MA in Canadian Studies from the Canadian Studies Network. In 2022, he was awarded a Cobourg Civic Award for Distinguished Arts and Culture. David is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. He has travelled widely across the Canadian Arctic, the East Coast, Greenland, Iceland and the North Atlantic as an expedition host and Zodiac driver with Adventure Canada.
Nicholas Glesby
Nicholas Glesby is a Ph.D. Student in Canadian Studies at Trent University, Administrator of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), and Student Fellow at the Centre of Defence and Security Studies (CDSS). His research interests include Canada-US defence relations, Arctic security, NATO, and military history.
Lynda Brown
Lynda Brown is a respected Inuk cultural educator, widely recognized for her dedication to advancing Inuit knowledge systems and fostering cross-cultural understanding. With deep roots in the Arctic and extensive experience in both formal and community-based education, she has played a pivotal role in preserving and sharing Inuit traditions, language, and history. Brown has contributed significantly to cultural programming, curriculum development, and public education initiatives that bridge Indigenous and non-Indigenous worldviews. Through her work with organizations such as Adventure Canada and her broader community engagement, she continues to champion the importance of cultural continuity, intergenerational learning, and reconciliation.