Stop Arctic Refuge leasing

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to stop U.S. leasing on the Arctic Refuge coastal plain to protect Porcupine Caribou calving grounds and Indigenous rights. The government responds that it has engaged the U.S.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada Whereas: The Porcupine Caribou Herd is of critical cultural, spiritual, and subsistence importance to the Vuntut Gwitchin, Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in of the Yukon, as well as the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit peoples of the Northwest Territories, who have relied upon and stewarded the Herd for generations; The U.S. government is actively promoting oil and gas leasing and development throughout the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, home to the calving grounds of the Herd, a place sacred to the Gwich'in Nation, and is holding the first of four planned lease sales June 5; Any oil and gas leasing and development within the Refuge represents a direct threat to the health of the Herd and the well-being of the Gwich'in and other First Nation and Inuvialuit users of the Herd; The Caribou, along with numerous other migratory bird and fish species within the Refuge, are culturally and substantively important to the people of Yukon and Northwest Territories as a whole; The Gwich'in and other First Nation and Inuvialuit users of the Herd have not been provided meaningful opportunities to participate in decision-making regarding proposed oil and gas leasing and development in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, nor have Canadians at large; Any oil and gas leasing and development in the Refuge will result in significant adverse impacts the rights and responsibilities of the Gwich'in and other First Nation and Inuvialuit users of the Herd in direct violation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) which constitutes the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples of the world; The actions of the U.S. government also violate the 1987 Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou Herd, and therefore represent disregard for Canadian sovereignty, the rule of law and international commitments made between Canada and the U.S.; We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to take all steps necessary to uphold the rights of the Gwich'in, Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, and Inuvialuit and protect the Porcupine Caribou Herd and their sacred calving grounds from U.S. oil and gas leasing and development, in keeping with Canada's commitments under international and Canadian law and the will of the Yukon people.

Government response

Response by the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Signed by The Honourable Julie Dabrusin The Government of Canada thanks the Petitioners for their advocacy on behalf of the Porcupine Caribou herd. We further acknowledge the Gwich'in, Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, and Inuvialuit peoples for whom the Herd holds profound cultural, spiritual, and subsistence importance. Canada has clearly communicated to the United States its position regarding oil and gas development in the Refuge and its concern for the potential impacts on the herd's calving grounds and on the Indigenous peoples and communities who depend on it. Canada's international engagement on this issue is guided by the 1987 Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on the Conservation of the Porcupine Caribou herd, which remains the cornerstone of bilateral cooperation on the Herd's conservation. Through the International Porcupine Caribou Board, established under the 1987 Agreement, the Government of Canada seeks to work collaboratively with the United States, the Yukon and Northwest Territories governments, and Indigenous partners to monitor the herd, coordinate harvest management, and advance shared conservation objectives. Domestically, the Porcupine Caribou Management Board, established under the Porcupine Caribou Management Agreement, brings together Canadian federal, territorial, and Indigenous governments, including the Gwich'in Tribal Council, the Inuvialuit Game Council, and Yukon First Nations with interests in the herd, and remains the primary mechanism through which Canada incorporates Indigenous knowledge and rights-holder perspectives into the herd's domestic management. The Government of Canada has provided substantive ongoing support to the Board's operational activities, including over $1.8 million in funding since 2017, to support the parties to the Agreement in their continued research, stewardship, and conservation of the Herd. This work is consistent with the Government of Canada's broader commitments under A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature, released March 31, 2026, which recognizes that conservation outcomes for species like the Porcupine Caribou depend on sustained, multi-jurisdictional collaboration. The Porcupine Caribou Management Board and the International Porcupine Caribou Board ground their work in population surveys, calving ground monitoring, and harvest data gathered jointly by both countries and Indigenous knowledge holders, ensuring that decisions affecting the herd are informed by the best available science and by the people who have observed and stewarded the herd for generations. The Government of Canada also recognizes that meaningful Indigenous participation in decisions affecting the herd and its habitat is inseparable from the rights affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Canada's work to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, reflects this Government's commitment to ensuring that Indigenous rights-holders, including the Gwich'in and Inuvialuit, are consulted on decisions that affect their traditional territories, culture, and way of life. Canada will continue to work with the Government of the United States, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Indigenous partners to advocate for the long-term conservation of the Porcupine Caribou herd and its habitat, in keeping with Canada's obligations under the 1987 Agreement and its broader commitments to reconciliation and Indigenous rights.