Canada looking closely at Arctic as part of defence spending increase: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is hinting that new investments are coming for Canada's Arctic as tensions with Russia, and Moscow's unpredictability, incite new fears of a potential attack from the north.
Yet the nature and scope of any coming investments remain uncertain, with some emphasizing the importance of non-military spending and Canada's top military commander pouring cold water on the idea of permanently positioning troops in the region.
The Liberal government is set to release its latest federal budget on Thursday, and is under pressure from the NATO military alliance and others to increase spending on Canada's military following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The six-week-old invasion has killed thousands of Ukrainians and Russians and dealt a significant blow to global security, escalating fears of a broader conflict as Moscow has engaged in nuclear sabre-rattling over the West's support for Kyiv.
The invasion motivated Ottawa to move ahead with Washington on long-overdue plans to modernize the North American Aerospace Defence Command, the now-obsolete system responsible for detecting and identifying attacks on the continent.
Asked Tuesday about the threat of a Russian attack, Trudeau accused the Kremlin of "seeking to disrupt and cause chaos in the world."
"We are continuing to stand strong in our sovereignty and our defence of the Arctic," he added. "Of course, with Norad modernization on the table, with increased investments in defence, the Arctic is an area we're going to look closely."
He didn't offer further details, but the comments came one day after Trudeau and Defence Minister Anita Anand spoke with the premiers of Canada's three territories to discuss Arctic sovereignty and security.
"The premiers outlined their concerns about the ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine and the risks it can pose to Arctic sovereignty," read a summary of the conversation provided by the Prime Minister's Office.
The summary also said the premiers "outlined the importance of building healthy communities and strong infrastructure in asserting sovereignty in the North," adding the group discussed funding for health care, housing and climate change.
Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane said in a statement that her priorities are critical infrastructure, telecommunications such as broadband internet, and energy.
"Northern security is not just about robust military presence," she said. "It's also about building strong, resilient communities through significant investment in critical infrastructure like roads, telecommunications and energy."
Stephane Roussel, an expert on Arctic security at the National School of Public Administration in Quebec, says there are clear gaps in Canada's northern defences that federal investments in infrastructure and communications can help address.
"Yes, there's a security or defence usefulness," he said. "But I think the idea is much more about developing these regions and connecting these regions with the rest of the country."
Russia in the years before its invasion of Ukraine had started to rebuild and expand its military facilities across the polar region amid an anticipated Arctic resource rush. It also developed long-range weapons capable of hitting North America from afar.
Chief of the defence staff Gen. Wayne Eyre took note of those new weapons during an appearance before the Senate defence committee on Monday, where Anand promised to bring forward "robust" new investments in Norad in the coming months.
But while Eyre also spoke of the need for more infrastructure, he said there is "no way" Canada can match Russia's large military footprint in the Arctic. He also spoke against the idea of permanently positioning large numbers of troops in the Far North.
The Canadian Armed Forces commander instead emphasized the importance of having "sets of austere infrastructure" needed to deploy troops from the south as required to respond "given the situation at hand."
"Whether it's additional forward operating locations for our jets that are part of Norad, whether it's projecting search-and-rescue capabilities based on certain events, whether it's projecting additional land forces to deal with climate change," he said.
University of Calgary professor Rob Huebert said the reality is that Ottawa has struggled to build the military infrastructure it has already promised in the Arctic, such as a promised runway extension in Inuvik and a deepwater jetty at Nanisivik.
At the same time, he expressed concern that the threat posed by Russia isn't being taken as seriously as it should be.
"There is a little bit of naivety to think just because it's never happened, because it's so horrible, it never will," he said of nuclear war. "That's a fallacy to simply say: `We haven't had nuclear war to this point, therefore we will not have it going into the future."'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Apr. 5, 2022.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.