From climate change to Inuit culture: Five things shared by Greenland and Canada

As Greenland and Canada both feel the threat of American expansion, the two have deep ties they are hoping to build on.

In February 2024, the Danish territory launched an Arctic strategy that promised a representation office for Greenland in Ottawa. Ten months later, Canada pledged to open a consulate in Nuuk, which is set to take place early next month.

Here are five things Canada and the Danish territory share:

A land border

In 2022, Canada and Denmark struck a deal to resolve an amicable dispute over Hans Island, involving 1.3-square-kilometres that both countries had claimed for five decades. 

The uninhabited rock sits between Ellesmere Island, in Nunavut, and Greenland, and it was divided along a natural ridge, giving about 40 per cent of the territory to Canada and the rest to Greenland.

That meant that Canada for the first time shared a land border with Denmark.

As part of the long dispute, soldiers from both nations left bottles of spirits on the island with little notes for one another while removing each other's flags, in what was dubbed the Whisky Wars.

The negotiations took 17 years, and resolved a disagreement between the two countries on maritime boundaries on the continental shelf. Both countries had agreed to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice if they couldn't reach a deal, as a way of affirming support for international law.

The agreement followed consultation with Inuit from both Nunavut and Greenland, who maintained hunting rights and freedom of movement on the island.

Inuit population

When the Hans Island dispute was resolved in 2022, Ottawa said the process had prompted further negotiations on freedom of movement for Inuit living in Nunavut and Greenland, to make it easier for them to visit friends and family.

That illustrates the cultural and family ties between the territories, which sit just 26 kilometres apart.

According to the 2021 census, 70,545 Inuit live in Canada, with most in their ancestral territories spanning the three territories, Labrador and northern Quebec.

Greenland's population stood at 57,000 and most estimates suggest 90 per cent of the territory is Inuit.

Inuit have also worked together across colonial borders to advocate for their rights and preserving cultures through the Inuit Circumpolar Council, including Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Siberia.

Greenland suffers from some of the same plights seen across Northern Canada, such as poor health outcomes and suicide. But the territory has part of a Nordic social model, with an emphasis on medical and educational access.

Both Nunavut and Greenland have a measure of autonomy and self-government, but not full sovereignty.

Climate change and defence

A warming planet has caused disproportionate changes in the Far North, affecting the seasons and access to traditional plants and food.

Canada and Greenland say they want to collaborate more on the fight against climate change through the diplomatic missions they'll be opening, with talk of more research collaboration and integrating scientific and traditional knowledge.

The changing climate also increases the prospects for future shipping lanes around Greenland and Nunavut, as well as concerns about adversaries sending military and research vessels.

The Danish Armed Forces' leadership in Greenland have talked about wanting to better co-ordinate with Canada on northern defence, which might be helped by a new defence-industry pact Ottawa signed with the European Union last year.

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has said that after decades of Canadian troops supporting security in Western Europe, it’s time for the NATO military alliance to focus on the north so Canada and the Nordics are better protected.

Mineral wealth

Greenland has a wealth of critical minerals that can help fuel a global clean-energy transition, such as for solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles. 

Western countries have focused on critical minerals in recent years after realizing they had a strategic vulnerability in relying on a supply chain where China has vast influence.

Still, experts have said that extracting minerals from Greenland is particularly complex and expensive due to its location and terrain.

An expansion of mining in Greenland might in theory influence Canadian supply chains, which were affected by Canadian sanctions against Russia following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Some mining equipment had travelled between Canada and Russia before those sanctions, due to somewhat similar topographies and extracted products.

Elbows Up

A year ago, uninvited American guests showed up in Greenland, handing out Make America Great Again hats. Weeks later, the territory saw its largest-ever demonstrations, pushing back against talk of U.S. expansion.

Since then, local shops have sold garments marked "Greenland is not for sale," similar to the ball caps worn by Ontario Premier Doug Ford that declared "Canada is not for sale."

In online forums and local media, Greenlanders appear to have watched closely as Trump spoke of making Canada a 51st state.

Last August, reports that officials in the Trump administration were actively seeking to promote Greenland's secession from Denmark — even creating lists of those who support making the territory part of the U.S. — prompted Denmark to summon the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen.

Still, the Americans have touched on a widespread desire for independence in the territory, whose political opposition has called for talks with Americans on a possible pact for sovereignty that could be partly bankrolled by American-developed mines.

This past Saturday, dozens marched in Iqaluit in solidarity with Greenland, in protest of Trump's renewed threats to take control of the island some 825 kilometres away.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2026.