Arctic defence must be built on partnership, not past mistakes: Inuit leaders

Inuit leaders warned Friday that Canada’s plans to spend tens of billions of dollars on Arctic defence could repeat past harms in the North unless Inuit are involved as partners.

“If a partnership with Canada is not on the table, if we are not going to be respected partners, then should we not be looking for other partners as well to uphold our interests?” Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed said at Nilliajut – Asserting Inuit Rights in Arctic Security – a one-day conference at Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier hotel.

Obed added that this is not a “threat” but a “practical consideration” amid Canada’s efforts under Prime Minister Mark Carney to diversify partnerships beyond the United States, which has threatened the country’s sovereignty.

At the conference, Obed and Makivvik Corp. president Pita Aatami, took part in a discussion on the history of militarization in Inuit Nunangat, which journalist Rob Russo moderated.

The discussion came as the federal government advances a generational Arctic defence strategy, including more than $40 billion in planned spending for upgraded bases, radar systems and northern operational hubs.

The plan includes forward operating location upgrades in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Iqaluit and Goose Bay; new rapid-deployment hubs in Whitehorse and Resolute; and a NORAD-aligned Arctic radar partnership with Australia.

Obed said Inuit reactions to the new wave of spending are shaped by their past experiences.

“The ability for Canada to colonize Inuit was aided and abetted by the militarization of Nunavut,” he said, referring to U.S. military infrastructure built during the Second World War and the Cold War that expanded Canada’s reach into remote regions and facilitated forced relocations.

Environmental consequences of military development also remain visible across the North, as Aatami recalled that when American forces departed Kuujjuaq following World War II, they buried heavy equipment and vehicles rather than remove them.

He also described how thousands of barrels of asphalt intended for a second military runway sat abandoned in the community for decades before eventually being used to pave local roads.

“It’s no wonder then that today, when we talk about the militarization of the Arctic and security,  sovereignty and defence… that our immediate reaction is worry,” Obed said.

Yet neither Obed nor Aatami argued against defence spending or military partnerships outright.

In the past, Aatami said Inuit were consulted by the U.S. military on where to build airstrips. He would like to see the Canadian government do similar consultations today.

The idea of “dual-use infrastructure” — projects that strengthen both Canada’s security capabilities and everyday life in northern communities — was put forward as an Inuit-led approach. 

Looking ahead, Obed outlined what success could look like if Arctic spending is aligned with Inuit priorities, such as universal broadband connectivity across Inuit Nunangat, stronger health-care systems and more housing.

“Canada is our preferred partner. 
It is the partner that we have spent the last 50 years working with and we have no interest in forging other paths,” said Obed.