Canada is set to release a new Arctic foreign policy aimed at boosting its diplomatic and security posture in the North to counter growing threats from foreign actors and climate change, the government announced Thursday.
Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said the policy set to be released Friday will respond to the growing global threat environment, and Canada’s responsibility to protect its own Arctic sovereignty and the security of other Arctic nations, as well as the United States.
“One thing is clear: the world is getting tougher, and conflicts that we are seeing in the world are linked,” she said. “Therefore, we need to be more robust in our response.”
Friday’s announcement will be made by Joly alongside Defence Minister Bill Blair and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal.
The growing presence of Russia and China in the Arctic, which has been made easier by climate change-fuelled shrinking of the ice shelf, has been identified as a key security priority for Canada.
Canada’s chief of the defence staff, Gen. Jennie Carignan, told Global News last month that Arctic security is among her top priorities, pointing to the increased collaboration between Moscow and Beijing. She said more investments and faster procurement of new technology was needed to counter those threats.
The federal government has been pushed by the United States to step up its posture and investments in the North as part of its defence commitments to both NATO and NORAD.
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The updated defence policy includes billions of dollars in new Arctic security investments, on top of nearly $40 billion in previously-announced spending for NORAD modernization.
Ottawa’s pledge to meet NATO’s defence spending target of two per cent of GDP by 2032 — a timeline that’s been criticized by allies as too long and the parliamentary budget officer as unrealistic — is based in part on purchasing a new fleet of submarines to patrol the North.
Canada signed a trilateral pact with the U.S. and Finland in July to spur the production of new Arctic and polar icebreakers, and signed a memorandum of understanding last month to enhance the partnership.
Icebreakers were among the topics raised during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s dinner with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump last week, according to the Canadian Press.
Canada does not have any diplomatic or consular presence in the Arctic but has sought to boost ties with Arctic states through forums like the Arctic Council and NATO.
The Canadian Forces uses the Canadian Rangers, a reserve force, to patrol remote, coastal and northern regions, with patrols of those reservists based in dozens of communities across the north and the Arctic.
A threat assessment released last week by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute listed climate change; state-based threats from Russia, China and others; and “an eroding international order based on the rule of law” as the top threats facing Canada and North America in the Arctic.
The report recommended appointing an “Arctic champion,” similar to the U.S. ambassador at large for Arctic affairs, to lead and facilitate a new Arctic strategy, along with prioritizing NORAD modernization and coordination with allies.
It noted those threats cannot be resolved solely by military means and called for “a more coordinated and integrated approach.”
“Unfortunately, the Canadian government is not structured to provide an integrated approach to these threats and challenges,” the authors wrote.
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