Ottawa unveils new policy for what it now calls the ‘North American Arctic’

Canada will begin security talks with allies to protect the Arctic from military and economic challenges posed by Russia and China under a new Arctic policy unveiled Friday that also includes working more closely with the United States.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly worked on the strategy for more than a year as Canada and allies bordering the Arctic grapple with China gaining a major foothold in the region through its alliance with Russia. They’re also dealing with climate change, as melting ice opens up new shipping routes and mineral exploration.
The policy introduces a new framing of the Arctic. It calls the region the “North American Arctic” 13 times in the document, an apparent stress of how important co-operation with the United States and its military will be.
As The Globe and Mail reported last year, China, although it has no territory fronting the Arctic, is rapidly building up its presence in the region through Russia. Moscow is facing a severe budget crunch from its military assault on Ukraine, and increasingly relies on Beijing and unprecedented levels of Chinese corporate and state investment to develop the area. China’s northernmost tip is still located about 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic.
Opinion: China is on a relentless mission to control Canada’s Arctic waters
“Threats to Canada’s security are no longer bound by geography; change is accelerating rapidly; and non-Arctic states, including China, are also seeking great influence in the governance of the Arctic,” Ms. Joly said in the foreword to the strategy.
“To respond, Canada must be strong in the North American Arctic, and it requires deeper collaboration with its greatest ally, the United States. Canada must also maintain strong ties with its 5 Nordic allies, which are now also all NATO members.”
Ms. Joly is promising to name an Arctic ambassador and set up consulates in Anchorage, Alaska, and Nuuk, Greenland, while also working to strengthen First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities as the High North is opened to mineral development.
No money is identified in the strategy paper but the policy promises five years of new funding. A senior government official speaking to reporters Thursday said the policy would receive $34.7-million in funding and $7-million in continuing funding. The Globe is not identifying the source who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.
The strategy calls for boundary negotiations with the U.S. regarding the Beaufort Sea and the implementation of the boundary agreement reached between Canada, Denmark and Tartupaluk, also known as Hans Island. It also promises to support scientific and research security in the Arctic.
In April, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to spend $18.4-billion over 20 years to acquire a new fleet of tactical helicopters; $1.4-million to buy specialized maritime sensors for ocean surveillance; $307-million over 20 years for airborne early-warning systems; and $218-million for Northern Operational Support Hubs to provide a greater year-round presence across the Arctic.
Canada, the U.S. and Finland have also entered into a trilateral pact to build icebreakers for the Arctic.
In his foreword to the Arctic strategy, Defence Minister Bill Blair reiterated the importance of strengthening the country’s presence in the region as the Arctic Ocean will soon become a vital shipping route between Europe and Asia, and vast stores of natural resources will be open for development.
The strategy warns of increasing co-operation between Russia and China in the Arctic, noting that they conducted joint military exercises in July. Russian and Chinese military warships have also participated in patrols in the Bering Sea while Russian and Chinese military aircraft were detected, tracked and intercepted by NORAD while flying over Alaska’s air defence zone.
“This demonstrates the continued deepening of Chinese-Russian military co-operation, particularly in the North Pacific approaches to the Arctic,” the strategy says.
Beijing has also regularly deployed dual-use research and surveillance ships to collect data that could be helpful for the Chinese military.
Because of these threats, the strategy says, Canada must develop an even closer partnership with the U.S. to defend the “North American homeland,” saying it expects defence co-operation to grow over the years. Canada will also co-operate with Denmark as well as Sweden and Finland, which recently joined NATO as full members, the strategy says.