One of Canada’s leading voices on Arctic sovereignty and northern security, Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer, has been recognized with one of the country’s highest honours for polar service and research.

The Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in the Study of the Canadian North at Trent University is the second Trent expert to receive the Polar Medal, and one of only two recipients to be awarded the honour in 2026 by Her Excellency Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada and a former chancellor of Trent University.

“Whitney’s work on polar policy and research has helped shape Canada’s understanding and engagement in the North at a pivotal moment for our country,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “Through leadership service and his role with the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, he is advancing Canada’s work in Arctic sovereignty and security. It is an exceptional honour for Trent to see Whitney recognized with the Polar Medal.”

About the Arctic, alongside local people, across the landscape

The Polar Medal is awarded to individuals who have provided outstanding service in support of scientific research and exploration relating to Canada’s polar regions and interests. A professor in the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University, Prof. Lackenbauer’s award-winning research explores the historical and socio-political dimensions of Arctic governance and the relationships between Northern peoples, their environment and federal policy.

“In 2026, I cannot say strongly enough how vital this work is—how much it matters to our country and to our shared future. For a long time, there was a disconnect between the needs of Arctic peoples and the decisions that shaped their lives, not to mention the legacy of colonialism,” said Simon during the presentation ceremony of the Polar Medal. “Today, the Arctic is seen as a region of opportunity. Issues of security and sovereignty are coming to the forefront. Dr. Lackenbauer: thank you for your research on Arctic governance and for your commitment to security, notably as honorary lieutenant-colonel of the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group."

“With a proliferation of perceived security and sovereignty challenges through, to, and in the Arctic, it is more important than ever to characterize threats appropriately and to ensure that the right actors are empowered with the right tools to mitigate risks and respond as needed,” said Prof. Lackenbauer.

Prof. Lackenbauer has worked with the Canadian Ranger Patrol Group for more than a decade, which has been a source of knowledge and guidance for much of his work on community-centred policy and advancing knowledge of Arctic governance, Northern sovereignty and security. In 2025, he published TAKUNIQ: The Canadian Rangers and Canada’s High Arctic in an Era of Strategic Competition, based on his ongoing engagement in this capacity working alongside Northern communities.

“The Canadian Rangers are the Canadian Armed Force’s eyes, ears and voice in the North, and Northern communities’ voice in the Canadian Armed Forces,” said Prof. Lackenbauer. “Most of the ‘exploring’ that I have done is with experts who are operating in their homeland, which they know intimately. If anything, I have learned to become an ‘expert’ in following their lead, listening to them and then being entrusted with telling stories of what they or we have experienced in hopes that this will improve policy, practice and public awareness.”

Academic, author, award winner

As the founder and network lead of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network (NAADSN), he is helping bridge academic research, public understanding and policymaking. More than 100 NAADSN members across multiple Arctic states are conducting research and policy work helping strengthen military-community relationships across the North.

A prolific author, Prof. Lackenbauer’s latest books include Non-Arctic State Policies and Strategies: Alignments with Canada (edited 2026); Northwest Passages: Navigating the Canadian Arctic from Gjøa to Harry DeWolf (co-edited 2025), Canadian Arctic Defence and Foreign Policy: Recent Developments (edited 2025), and Canadian Arctic Sovereignty and Security, Volume 2: Historical and Legal Perspectives (edited 2024).

All of this work has earned Prof. Lackenbauer accolades at Trent, including receiving the University’s Distinguished Research Award in 2026 and the Research Impact Award in 2024. In 2025, he was recently renewed as a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair for a second seven-year term, supported through $1.4 million in federal funding, recognizing the scope and impact of his work.

“I have been so blessed over the last quarter century to have been guided and taught by experts and mentors throughout the Canadian Arctic and North,” said Prof. Lackenbauer. “The generosity, resourcefulness and resilience of Canadians who live in our Arctic and Northern communities continues to inspire me. It is a particular honour to receive the medal from Her Excellency Mary Simon, whose leadership has not only shaped our country but the circumpolar world.”

Advancing Arctic achievements at Trent

Created in 2015 as part of the Canadian Honours System, the Polar Medal was last awarded in 2019. Prof. Lackenbauer is the second Trent faculty member to receive the honour, following the late Arctic historian and author Dr. Shelagh Grant, one of the medal’s inaugural recipients in 2015 whose scholarship helped shape Canadian understanding of Arctic sovereignty and Northern history.

Learn more about Dr. P. Whitney Lackenbauer and the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University.