Emma Godmere, a journalist with CBC Radio’s The House, has been awarded this year’s $25,000 R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship. It will enable her exploration of defence and security issues in three Arctic states and what Canada can learn from them.
The CBC will support her multi-platform project on its website, social media accounts, and CBC Television when it is ready to be rolled out in the autumn of 2025.
See the news release from Carleton University, which administers the endowed Fellowship fund.
The Story
There is consensus among political and defence leaders: Canada must strengthen its Arctic security – now.
Russia is building up its military capacity north of the Arctic Circle. China is eyeing polar shipping routes and natural resources including oil and gas. The two authoritarian nations are even increasing their cooperation in the area.
Yet in the face of these increasing tensions, Canada risks complacency in the absence of more comprehensive action. The Department of National Defence has painted a worrisome picture of Canada’s combat readiness and the country suffers from a “fragmented approach to defence in the Arctic.” Disinformation, AI, and social media present additional challenges to national security as the threat of foreign interference continues to loom large.
Following numerous background conversations with Canadian Arctic security experts, current and former diplomats, and academics based in Nordic states, it’s clear that a robust response to national security concerns must include military preparedness – and civil preparedness.
As Godmere notes, this is where Canada can turn to key Arctic allies for inspiration and collaboration.
The Journalist
Emma Godmere has produced award-winning radio and podcasts at CBC for more than a decade, spending the last five years focused on federal politics and public policy with the parliamentary bureau in Ottawa. For CBC’s long-running flagship political affairs program The House, she has reported from across the country and produced in-depth coverage on critical minerals, climate policy, and the Canada-U.S. relationship. Her audio diary following a Ukrainian woman in Kyiv in the early days of the Russian invasion won a radio documentary Gracie Award in 2023.
