The Canadian Rangers: Cornerstone for Community Disaster Resilience in Canada’s Remote and Isolated Communities

Dr Peter Kikkert, Irving Shipbuilding Chair in Arctic Policy, Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, St Francis Xavier University, spoke to RUSI(NS) and guests by video-conference 19 August 2020 with a presentation titled “The Canadian Rangers: Cornerstone for Community Disaster Resilience in Canada’s Remote and Isolated Communities.”

The involvement of the Canadian Rangers in the broader response to COVID-19 highlights a role that they have been playing for decades: by virtue of their presence, capabilities, and the relationships they enjoy with(in) their communities, Rangers regularly support other government agencies and are often at the forefront preparing for, responding to, and recovering from a broad spectrum of local emergency and disaster scenarios. Dr Kikkert’s talk explored how the Rangers strengthen the disaster resilience of their communities, suggested how to enhance their impact, and argued that the organization could serve as a model for how targeted government investment can build resilience in similar jurisdictions.

The presentation slides are attached here. A recording of the Zoom session is available on request to RUSI(NS).