Poilievre promises permanent military base for Iqaluit
Conservative leader also plans to buy icebreakers, increase Canadian Rangers roster if elected
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announces his Arctic sovereignty strategy at the Iqaluit airport on Feb. 10. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre promised Monday to build a permanent military base in Iqaluit that would be completed within two years if he becomes prime minister.
“If we are to be a sovereign, self-reliant nation, we must take control of our North, secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said during a news conference at the Iqaluit airport.
The 40-minute event was held outdoors in -25 C weather — cold enough to freeze the glass of water provided to Poilievre at the beginning of his appearance.
Poilievre touted the project as Canada’s first permanent military base since the Cold War, which ended in 1991. With the presence of the airport and deepsea port and Iqaluit’s relatively large population, the city would make an ideal site for a new base, he said.
He said it would be big enough to host a full Royal Canadian Air Force command unit; launch and land new F-35 fighter jets and Poseidon P-8 surveillance aircraft that can carry out search and rescue operations; and conduct anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Conservative MP James Bezan, the party’s National Defence critic, answer questions Monday at a news conference at the Iqaluit airport. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
As well, Poilievre promised to buy two new polar icebreakers for the Canadian Navy and double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers to 4,000 members from the current 2,000. Rangers are a group of Canadian armed forces responsible for remote and isolated parts of Canada, including the High Arctic.
He didn’t offer a price estimate, but said the cost will be covered entirely by cuts to Canadian foreign aid. Canada’s international assistance through Global Affairs Canada, RCMP, and 19 other federal organizations amounted to $15.5 billion in 2022-23.
“All of these improvements will be funded by dramatically cutting foreign aid, most of which, or a lot of which, goes to dictators, terrorists and global bureaucracies,” he said.
Canada’s adversaries, such as Russia and China, are increasing their presence in the Arctic which should be a “wake-up call” for Canada to strengthen its security, Poilievre said. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken about taking over Greenland to improve the United States’ security in the region.
“Hostile powers want our resources and shipping routes and to be within striking distance of our continent. China has now declared itself a near-Arctic state, even though its borders are approximately 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic Circle,” Poilievre said.
The military’s presence in the Arctic currently includes Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island, opened in 1958, and an Arctic training centre in Resolute Bay.
His announcement comes two months after the federal Liberal government released its new Arctic foreign policy, which includes appointing an Arctic ambassador, and 10 months after its $81-billion Arctic defence policy.
Under those policies, commitments over the next 20 years include $1.4 billion for specialized maritime sensors and $218 million for northern operational support hubs consisting of airstrips, logistics facilities and equipment stockpiles.
Arctic sovereignty is part of the Conservative “Canada First” strategy, Poilievre said, adding Inuit will fill as many of the jobs created by these projects as possible.
He said his plan will be able to reach the security goals more quickly than the Liberal program because he will eliminate “the red tape.”
In an email in response to Poilievre’s statement, Lindsay Mathyssen, the NDP’s critic for National Defence, criticized the Conservative leader’s past comments about the Arctic.
“How can a man who insults northern communities — saying nobody but Santa Claus lives there — be trusted to understand their value and protect Arctic sovereignty?” said Mathyssen, a London, Ont. MP, referencing Poilievre’s social media post in December.
In that post, Poilievre wrote: “Arctic ambassador? To do diplomacy with who? Santa Claus?” after the federal government announced its plan to create the new office in December.
Oooooh you can smell Poilievre starting to sweat. All of a sudden what seemed like a sure thing is not seeming so sure anymore. He’s realizing that his insolence and petulance can only carry him so far in the face of a potential candidate who would potentially be the most qualified Prime Minister in all of Canadian history in Mark Carney. Starting to see some actual concrete ideas coming out of the Conservative Party for the first time in a long time. I like it.
This coming from someone that never voted for the Liberals during the Trudeau era, so don’t come at me saying I’m just a die-hard Lib fan. Sure wish the Cons had a better candidate though.
Poilierve said, ( and is wrong)
“If we are to be a sovereign, self-reliant nation, we must take control of our North, secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said during a news conference at the Iqaluit airport.
Premier P.J. Akeeagok is absolutely correct!
While I’m heartened to see political attention on the Arctic, I want to remind Mr. Poilievre and his party that decisions about the North cannot occur without significant input from Northerners. I look forward to Mr. Poilievre’s explicit recognition that should he become Prime Minister, his plans for the Arctic will be made in partnership with Northerners to reflect our rights, needs, and perspectives.
P.J. Akeeagok for Liberal MP candidate for Nunavut!
Input on what? Are there a lot of military experts in the north? I know you want to feel important PJ, but I doubt you have much to contribute to this.
The government has constitutional and treaty obligations towards the Inuit (ever heard of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement?) and cannot just go plant a base near Iqaluit and ignore birthright Inuit orgs and the government of Nunavut.
Would a national security issue not «trump» the NLCA?
No! The NLCA trumps them all, even after 20 plus years of Nunavut majority of GN employees still have no clue about the NLCA and break the agreement continuously without batting an eye.
It’s actually a huge problem at the GN that does not get the attention from our MLAs, we can expect this on the federal level but within our own Nunavut government, it’s a mess.
You really ought to read the Nunavut Agreement. Inuit rights are always subject to Federal prerogatives like national defense. If Canada deems it necessary, they can even expropriate Inuit Owned Lands for national purposes such as military bases and conservation areas. That is explicitly mentioned several times in the Nunavut Agreement.
Generally, 82% of Nunavut is now recognized as public (Crown) lands, after all. Only 18% of the land is owned by Inuit, which we can do with what we want. That means the Feds (until 2027 when Devolution occurs) have final say over the majority of the land up here.
The primary responsibility of a state is to protect its citizens. Our constitution lays out how that responsibility is handled. The Federal government has that duty towards all citizens, including Inuit. As building military bases up here protects Inuit Canadians, Inuit should realize these steps are being taken to secure your most fundamental rights.
It’s pretty clear in his video ad, that they will consult indigenous communities.
Absolutely, and ‘consult’ does not mean ‘seek the approval of’, particularly in matters of national defence and security. NTI does not work for the betterment of Canada and Canadians, it is, at the end of the day, a special interest group.
Akeeagok is completely wrong. The feds reign supreme on matters of security and defence. Local input is a nice to have, nothing more.
Welcome to Canada, where the federal candidates can say whatever they want and not respect the local government and people, this is the platform of the Cons, they do not respect what people want or need as long as they think they sound or look smart,
ABC! We do not miss Harper and we certainly will not vote for this puppet.
The Liberals were very good at the art of illusion, pretending to listen, pretending every word you said mattered more than anything in the world. It was effective, even when it amounted to little or nothing in the real world.
The conservatives will likely play this game too but I doubt they will do it as well as the Liberals, for what that is worth.
I am also running on a platform of false promises. I will every man, women and child taller by 5cm. I will reduce the fat in ice cream by 4.6% by 2028. I will ensure border service agents rotate everyone’s tires one spot to the left when leave Canada and then one spot to the right when they return. I will reduce the cost of pears, but raise the price of peaches in months that end in H. I will fund this all by brining back the penny and making worth a nickel.
Also I promise to come up a better slogan than Canada First, almost anything would be better, Canada United, Canada Together, Canada Loves Beavertails, Etc.
I promise that all of these ideas are new and my own and not something I dusted off the shelf from 2006 when my party was desperate for a win.
Vote for Fake Mews as PM!
How many Terrorist groups are we sponsoring?
It is problematic when people who have never served in the military, and who have never consulted with the military, mistakenly think that they have the situation awareness, experience, and wisdom that would allow them to make sound military policy.
Having served in the military, and having kept in touch with the members of the units that I served in, I have personally seen many of the issues that have created the current recruiting and retention crisis. A significant problem with the current air defence bases in Cold Lake and Bagotville, as well as the maritime patrol bases in Greenwood and Comox is the stress that these remote locations place on the families of those that serve. Exacerbating the shortage of educational and employment opportunities for the children and spouses of service members, by posting them to Iqaluit, will just further exacerbate the recruiting and retention crisis.
Airlines across the North, from Whitehorse to Yellowknife to Iqaluit have for decades had to rely upon rotational flight crews and maintainers, because housing, education and employment opportunities in the north are too limited to support the families of permanent staff. And they still face significant turnover because of the hostile environment.
Examining the alcoholism and drug use rates of remotely stationed service members, and looking at the suicide rates of US service members posted to Alaska provides some key insights into the dangers of permanent remote bases in the North.
Over the weekend I spoke to a very dedicated and capable service member who was contemplating leaving the military if he was posted to Shilo rather than Gagetown, because of the detrimental impact another remote posting would have on his wife and kids.
The RCAF’s rotational Forward Operating Base system was established after considerable structured, rigorous, and methodical scientific examination determined that it was the most efficient and effective means to deploy air power.
The RCAF has to compete with the civil aviation industry for the best and brightest. For the highly educated and greatly in demand engineers and technicians that are required to support modern combat aircraft, a remote posting is just not competitive with what the commercial aviation industry can offer.
Quality of life considerations have a tremendous impact on service member retention. Those who do not comprehend these important issues are lacking awareness of the fundamental weakness of their plans.
When those presenting themselves as having the best ideas are in fact bereft of any understanding of the complexity of the issues, then recruiting and retention issues only get worse.
Well said.
People want to pretend that serving in the military isn’t a job, but rather a “calling” that people should be lined up to do just for the love of it. It’s the same attitude that’s ruining nursing and teaching.
Even for those for who public service is a calling, there are only so many sacrifices that can be made.
I am quite active in the aviation community, and many people think that I am joking when I say I’m posting from a place called Road to Nowhere. Throughout my military career I continually witnessed even the most dedicated and enthusiastic new recruits become disillusioned and discouraged by the realities of military service. My grandmother was the foundation of my childhood, and she shaped who I am today, but I never got to say goodbye to her before she died. I was not even able to even attend her funeral, as my deployed unit was already understaffed. I am ashamed that I could not be there for my mother when she needed me most.
Service members ask a lot of their spouses and children, and they offer us amazing support beyond what we should reasonably expect, but to take a child or spouse who grew up and established a life in a southern city and expect them to adapt to Iqaluit may be too much of a sacrifice to ask for.
I rotate through here, and at the end of my 21days I’m ready to return to Montreal.
So the military can’t cope with what the rest of us southerners have been doing for years, i moved here in 1991 and my family and i have survived quite well. If you can’t handle the job then change jobs
This sounds just like the ‘if you don’t like high food prices, move somewhere else’ argument and it’s just as ridiculous.
And you are?? Name and rank please. A 21-day rotation?? Clearly we are overworking you.
Lindsay Mathyssen should take a chill pill. Pierre never insulted the Arctic. However, blunder boy has been thumbing his nose at the Arctic since 2015.
Poilievre is a former Minister of Employment and Social Development who accomplished SFA, but who said that Indigenous Canadians would be better off getting a work ethic than relying on handouts.
Trudeau brought in $10 daycare and the $650 per month Canada Child Benefit.
So he said something you didn’t like, or something that wasn’t true? Which is it?
Uh huh, sure.
We can barely man our southern military installations. I’m sure that the possibility of an Iqaluit posting would do wonders for recruitment and retention …
He’s telling stories and selling us a bill of goods.
Poilievre says some dumb things now and then, but that does not preclude him from protecting ‘Arctic sovereignty’.
No matter how well intentioned a delusional fool may be, the detrimental impact of their ill-advised actions can still be quite immense.
Making ill advised military deployments to score political points only benefits those who may pose a threat to Canada.
You seem to be okay with the lieberal money handouts. Pierre is talking about something concrete.
This loss cause leader is somewhat misplaced. Ice is melting much sooner so the need and rationale for expensive ice breakers is misguided. Ice is also our highway up here whenever we can use it, so will the ice breaking impair our ability to travel up here?
So Canada should abandon defense of the north, is that your position 🤔?
And where will you house the troops? At the cadet hall? Where will the support staff live? Iqaluit has a major housing shortage but the municipality decided to build a free drunk tank hotel instead od employee housing so they’re too busy to build housing for the peoe who pay for everything, those being the working and homeless taxpayers and GN employees. Pierre, we welcome a permanent base but you’ll need to do some house cleaning first.
How credible are concerns about Russian military capability in the Arctic? How capable has Russian been in Syria lately? Have they captured Kiev yet? Is Kursk still occupied by Ukraine?
There once was a concern that Russian bombers coming over the pole would launch cruise missiles to destroy hydro electric generating capacity in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador. That was the first strike doctrine for an attack on North America. The cruise missile capability that NORAD had such an interest in has now been largely expended in Ukraine. Russia has been forced to revert to using North Korean missiles and Iranian drones, because Russia no longer has the resources to replace the ordinance it expends.
Russia is now having great difficulty even finding aircraft to fly over a military parade. Many of the Russian military units once posted in the arctic have been sent to their demise in Ukraine. Many military intelligence folks monitoring Russians in the arctic are wondering where everybody has gone. Military analysts examining the gutting out of Russian military capability often wonder about the ramblings of uneducated politicians who invent a perceived threat, and then claim to be the answer to it.
Many of the Russian “soldiers” recently killed or captured in Ukraine were sailors, the crews of the arctic deployed submarines that we were once so worried about.
Imagine the benefit to society if the money wasted on defending ourselves from Russian ghosts was wisely invested on defending Canada from gun smugglers and drug dealers. How many of us have had a friend in Canada harmed by a Russian? How many Canadians were shot today? How many lost a job, a child, or their life because of drugs?
True leaders are able to wisely identify the real priorities and they do not allow themselves to be distracted by frivolous flights of fancy.
The price of just one F-35 or P-8 could go a long way in keeping guns and drugs off our streets.
I was in Hay River and Yellowknife last week, and the greatest threat to public safety there is not the Russians.
“If we are to be a sovereign, self-reliant nation, we must take control of our North, secure all of our borders and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said during a news conference at the Iqaluit airport.
That means cancelling the F-35 contract. Canada has to design and build our own air force. Foreign planes are subject to foreign control.
It was a former Conservative government that cancelled production of the world’s best jet fighter, ordered the destruction of its blueprints, and sent people to use acetylene torches to cut up the prototypes without even emptying their fuel tanks first.
Yes, Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker was that crazy.
Perhaps Pierre should focus more on what his hero in the White House is trying to do to Canada instead of making empty promises and trying desperately to sound like he knows what he’s doing.
When did Canada stop standing on its own 2 feet? I do not agree with Poilievre’s inference here. We are already standing on our own 2 feet.
Canada has only been invaded once. By the USA. We face no imminent threat from Greenland and Denmark. We are nothing more than a speed bump for the Russians to get to the USA, if those two countries ever fought. And, it is increasingly obvious that if the Russians would go through us to get to the States, they would do so using golf carts. There is a reason we do not spend much on defense; we are not threatened by invasion.
Countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico spend less on defense than us for similar reasons. Even countries like Taiwan and South Korea, which are still technically at war with a neighbor, spend only marginally more as a % of GDP compared to us.
No. What is going on is this; the USA has always been the only real threat to our sovereignty. They always were. If we need more military bases, it is on our southern border.
When Poilievre insinuates we are not standing on our own 2 feet, what he means is that we are not doing enough to secure the northern approaches to the USA to the liking of the Americans. A military base in Iqaluit would mainly serve the purpose of subsidizing American defense. Plainly, he is merely cow-towing to Trump. When Trump accuses someone of doing something wrong, 95% of the time, he is the one guilty of it. No difference here; he wants Canada to give the USA a free ride.
If Poilievre wants to stand on his own 2 feet, he is going to have to come up with more defense ideas that exclusively benefit Canada than this.
The US only invaded Canada “once”?
I guess you are discounting the Fenian raids, but that still leaves the question if you are talking about the 1775 attacks on Montreal and Quebec City, or the War of 1812.
We occupy the 2nd largest country in the world.
100 years ago, over 80% of Canadians somehow managed to live in rural settings. Often, in very remote rural settings; growing their families, communities and our country.
Today, 81% of Canadians live in cities.
More often than not, when southern Canadians come up to my community, I can tell it bothers them to be in a place that does not have all the amenities they have come to be used to.
It especially bothers them that it is cold up here, even though Climate Change is making it much warmer than before.
I am sorry, but if it stresses out present day Canadians too much to be cold, and to be away from the big city lights, we are going to have to consider the real possibility that southern Canadians do not really need that big of a country to live in.
More to the point, if Nunavut is too cold for you, and a few winter storms in southern Canada set your teeth on edge, pull the trigger, leave, and become an American.
Maybe it is all for the best if some other country, occupied by more hardy and adventurous souls, uses the 40% of Canada that is Arctic in nature instead of the border hugging lot we have now.
Buck up southern Canadians. You happily sing “true north strong and free”. If you really believe that, act accordingly. If not, do not pretend you do.
Hope they get an ice breaker that woi, helicopters that fly and sleeping bags that are functional for Nunavut winter weather. Not Southern winter (?)
And…. hockey sticks.
He should build it by the road to nowhere and they will not come.
PP, better known to his pees as Skippy has never done anything except being a politician. Being a politician is OK but as a very wise person once said” you don’t have to know anything to be a politician; you just have to get elected”.
There is no way that gutting the entirety of that $15.5 billion dollar Global Affairs budget could cover the cost of what PP is proposing.
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There is no way he can reduce that Global Affairs budget by 100%, no matter how much he wants to emulate Trump’s latest move.
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There is no way he could build and staff all those things for 15.5 billion, even before running into all the inevitable budget ballooning which will emerge..
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To say this plan will be covered entirely by cuts to Canadian foreign aid is almost as nonsensical as the plan itself…
Well it’s mostly immigrants who stay in cities and flock to temperate areas of the country. And they’re definitely not an adventurous bunch nor have the hardiness to withstand the cold.
Little to no impact – base housing is not part of the civilian market.
Poilievre need not promise us the moon, Trudeau has led the Libs well to the margins with his globalist first track, And no one in their right mind would have a bank, Carney as their PM. The Greens are a better choice, this playing with fire as do the others is going to end with us all being nuked one day.
When Pierre becomes Prime Minister hardworking Taxpayers should lobby hard for him to set up a MOGE, ministry of government efficency, in Canada, what do you think about that Keyboard Warriors and trolls, come on start the debate
a banker…
Gurhas? Nunavut Special Forces? 1000 strong. CFB Iqaluit. Sounds good. I was posted at various Bases and Had a grand time while serving my country. Do you want ppl who can serve in the Arctic? Recruit locals.