Canadian leaders are waking up to Arctic security urgency
Our world in 2025 needs Canadian leadership in Arctic; fortunately it’s on their radar
Arctic security is part of all three of Canada’s major federal party leaders’ platforms. From left, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to reporters in Iqaluit on Feb. 10, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh speaks at a news conference in the Nunavut capital on March 16, and Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks in Iqaluit on March 18. (File photos by Arty Sarkisian and Jeff Pelletier)
Canadians are gradually waking up to the importance of Arctic security and sovereignty, but the country’s political leaders still seem a bit groggy.
Three federal party leaders have come to Iqaluit since Feb. 10 to spell out their plans to protect Arctic security and sovereignty. But their plans still need some work before they’re fully formed.
The uncertain world we live in has pushed Canada’s Arctic to the top of the political agenda. An aggressive Russia, an influence-seeking China, and an unpredictable United States are forcing Canadian politicians to tackle Arctic issues head on.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute think tank in Ottawa cautioned this week that Canada is “sleepwalking into Arctic irrelevance.”
In a commentary, researcher Alexander Dalziel called it “urgent” for Canadian leaders to “think Arctic” when developing defence and foreign policies.
“It is urgent because, to keep it stable and peaceful, status quo actions no longer are enough,” Dalziel wrote.
Ignoring the Arctic increases the likelihood of Canada’s adversaries attempting “destabilizing actions” there, he added.
You don’t need a crystal ball to see that the Arctic will play a big role in the 2025 federal election — whether that’s in the spring or in October.
Prime Minister Mark Carney — on the fifth day in his new job — popped into Iqaluit on Tuesday to spell out the Liberal government’s plan for the Arctic.
Amid the unravelling of the traditional Canada-U.S. relationship and the need to shore up ties with historical allies the United Kingdom and France, Carney made it a priority to signal where he stands on the Arctic. It includes an operational support hub in Nunavut and hundreds of millions of dollars to beef up a military presence in the North.
Six weeks ago, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was in Nunavut, promising to build a full-fledged military base in Iqaluit — Canadian Forces Base Iqaluit — if his party forms the government.
That base would be operational within two years of the Conservatives coming to power, he said. That seems like an ambitious target, considering sealift and construction season limitations in the North, as well as the demand for construction workers everywhere.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was in Iqaluit last weekend with his vision for defending Canada’s interests in the Arctic.
Singh cited the “dangerous times” we live in as the need to establish a military base in Iqaluit. Even the NDP — historically rooted in pacifism — promises to meet Canada’s NATO commitment of spending two per cent of its GDP defence … by 2032.
This sudden attention on defence risks overshadowing the ongoing challenges northerners deal with, including housing and the affordability of food. Not only do leaders need to “think Arctic” in terms of defence and foreign policies, they must not forget to “think Arctic” when it comes to domestic social and economic policies.
With an election call likely within days, Nunatsiaq News pledges to “think Arctic” in its coverage and give sovereignty and security the attention it deserves — and is demanding — during the campaign.
How long does it take before the government realizes all it’s mistakes,
When they really don’t care, when it is obvious they will let foreigners take over residency in Canada just to gain votes, and to suck up to businesses that want cheap labour,
The Liberal government is the wost for this,
Since they love throwing big money out of the country for foreign products we should have built here, and the liberals are good at spending such funds for useless leaky subs that were second hand trash that was not wanted from where they were purchased,
If you are stupid enough to vote liberal again,
You will get the same stupidity again and it will be worse than ever
Since they would do anything to hang onto power by sucking up to other useless political powers to stay and destroy what Canada has left, which is just about nothing now,
Singh and your uselessness is so repulsive for supporting the liberals so you can stay in power and have a little bigger pension, so when your political career is finished here you can disappear back to India as most do when they got what they want from Canada
Both the liberal and NDP political parties do not have the best interest for Canadians, as you can see from their past history,
And don’t think because there is a new liberal leader they would be any different,
You are being fooled and being played like a piano, just as Trump is being played by Putin
After 157 years of neglect on the arctic, southern politicians are finally rude awakening. Wait until Russia and other countries realize Canada hasn’t built infrastructure in the arctic.
Wait for China and East India to take over. Mandarin and Hindi are the Nunavut language of the future.
How about getting Super Shamou to stand guard, along with Nunavut “Power” Rangers?
Meanwhile, Russia has been building along their arctic coast for years, Why cause they know they need too, THEY HAVE Floating Nuclear power plants on barges, when one project is done they move to the next. What have we done? “Oh we may build a harbor in Frobisher Bay and a few other places”. we have already lost this war. and Grey’s bay, what a joke. that project has been tabled for years! our only road to the Arctic is the Dempster highway, why hasn’t there been a road to all those mines in NWT to the coast already?
All together now…..
🎵Oh say can you see🎵
🎵By the dawn’s early light 🎵….
Relax. Just getting warmed up for the Stanley Cup finals.
Besides, the Land Guardians of Pond(?) got your back Nunavut.
“Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!!!”
At every major Canadian airport, you effectively step on to US soil inside Canada as soon as you enter a US CBP clearance area. Meanwhile, the US’s 2 premier icebreakers are both in drydock and unable to sail. Southern Canadians need to wake up. The sovereignty problem we have in our country is on the southern border, not the north.
Follow the money.
Arctic has always been about the money.
Like in a lot of movies….”Follow the white man money.” (The actual intended target.)
Too much at risk, financially, to allow the “simple, primitive people of nunavut to handle their own affairs.”
Good God!!!
Not even. Nunavut can’t even collect rent or power bills. Sheesh!!
Iqaluit as an Arctic hub for defense, what a waste, 1 drone attack gone simple, build all weather roads to kugluktuk, from Yellowknife and an all weather road to repulse bay from Thompson, build bases for our Armed forces and train Inuit, the old phrase used it or lose it. And trump and Putin will devise and conquer us, and trump will walk into Canada to protect the USA national interest, it’s in the planning stages now, now trolls and keyboard Warriors have fun with this post, we are sheep, and weak
Canadian leaders?? Really? Singh lol. Proof the article is bias and Carney, the installed PM for 3 weeks? Canadian leaders? Those 2 are the root cause of the last 10 years and now they’re going to magically save us. I’m sure the so called “moderators or arbiters of truth” won’t post this. Which would prove once again that free speech in Canada has been stifled. Putin?trudeau style