NationTalk: Ottawa – Canada’s North is militarily exposed, economically underdeveloped and threatened by climate change — while world powers covet its rich resources and Arctic waterways, the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs said in a report released Wednesday, June 28, 2023.
The committee’s report, Arctic Security Under Threat: Urgent needs in a changing geopolitical and environmental landscape, looks at issues relating to security and defence in Canada’s Arctic. It is the culmination of more than a year of work that took the committee north of the Arctic Circle and south to NORAD headquarters.
Russia remains an Arctic threat. Some Cold War-era military bases in the Russian Arctic have been reopened or rebuilt in the past decade; more than 10 bases are operational. Russian military capabilities in the Arctic remain formidable.
China increasingly has designs on the North, declaring itself a “Near Arctic State” in a 2018 policy document. As climate change makes the Arctic Ocean increasingly navigable, China’s desire to exploit Arctic resources will put it on a collision course with Canadian sovereignty and interests.
In contrast, Canada’s Arctic defence infrastructure is severely lacking. For example, senators went to a NORAD forward operating location in Inuvik, Northwest Territories that can barely accommodate CF-18 jets and is unusable for parts of the year. Canadian Forces members — who serve in the Arctic with commendable dedication, professionalism and resourcefulness — deserve more. All Canadians deserve more.
Canada’s Arctic civilian and industrial infrastructure is also stretched. The North still suffers from inadequate housing, poor internet connectivity and food insecurity while its resources — including abundant natural gas and rare earth elements essential for cell phones and clean technology — remain largely inaccessible, preventing economic development that could reinvigorate northern communities.
The committee was struck by the resilience, determination and ingenuity of northern residents in spite of the well-documented challenges they face and decades of federal inaction. Inuit in particular have suffered from cruel Cold War-era policies that scattered them over the Arctic in the name of Canadian sovereignty. While the scars from forced relocation and other abuses remain, their contributions to Canada have only increased, whether as vigilant members of the Canadian Rangers or through the technical expertise of the Inuit-led Nasittuq Corporation, which operates and maintains the North Warning System.
The Arctic is at a turning point. The world needs northern resources. Its residents are determined to thrive. The North needs the federal government to hear and support them, failing which a profoundly important and strategic part of Canada will remain in jeopardy.
Quick Facts
- The Canadian Arctic is 40% of Canada’s land mass and 75% of its coastline but is home to less than 1% of its population. Most of the Arctic’s population is Inuit; more than half of the inhabitants in the three territories are Indigenous.
- The committee undertook two fact-finding missions during its study: to Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, and to NORAD headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- When a Chinese surveillance balloon entered Yukon through the Arctic in February 2023, the closest Canadian jets were caught in freezing rain in Cold Lake, Alberta. An American jet shot it down.
Quotes
“The Arctic faces many imminent threats: from climate change, ageing defence infrastructure and rapidly growing geopolitical competition, but it is also home to strong and innovative people — Indigenous peoples, our defence forces and Canadian Rangers — all doing remarkable things with very little. They are on the front line of a battle for the future — with the right resources, I am confident that the grave challenges facing Canada’s North can be overcome.”
– Senator Tony Dean, Chair of the committee
“The Canadian Arctic has vast untapped economic potential but without the infrastructure to access and transport its resources, we are leaving enormous wealth in the ground. If we do not start to make use of resources that the world needs, it will not be long before other countries seek to exploit them.”
– Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais, Deputy Chair of the committee
“We can no longer ignore the threats to our sovereignty. Foreign powers are already testing our resolve, whether in the air through spy balloons or on the water through monitoring buoys. We are too dependent on the United States for Arctic defence — we must live up to our responsibilities as a northern country.”
– Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu, member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure
“The Arctic is my home. When the committee travelled to Tuktoyaktuk, I showed them where houses once stood that had to be moved because our Arctic coastline is eroding. The situation is beyond urgent — it is desperate. Canada has taken so much from us in the name of Arctic sovereignty. Without concrete action now, I fear what may come.”
– Senator Dawn Anderson, member of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure
Associated Links
- Read the report: Arctic Security Under Threat: Urgent needs in a changing geopolitical and environmentallandscape.
- Read past Senate reports on the Arctic:
- Follow the committee on social media using the hashtag #SECD.
- Subscribe to email alerts for Senate committees.
- Sign up for the Senate eNewsletter.
For more information:
Amely Coulombe
Communications Officer | Senate of Canada
343-575-7553| amely.coulombe@sen.parl.gc.ca