At the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Rebecca Chartrand, Canada’s Minister for Northern and Arctic Affairs, announced that Canada is strengthening its defense readiness and Arctic partnerships amid growing global tensions.
“We’re already moving forward on some of our Nanook operations — inviting other countries to participate with us in military readiness,” Chartrand told TVP World Talks.
According to Chartrand, Canada has signed a strategic security partnership with Finland to build new icebreakers, while also modernizing NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) in cooperation with the United States to improve early warning and defense systems.
She confirmed that Canada is asserting itself in the North and the Arctic, investing in northern security hubs and boosting military recruitment to enhance its regional presence.
However, Chartrand emphasized that Arctic policy must not be created from a southern perspective, insisting that it should include the voices of northern and Indigenous peoples, who she called “the first line of defense” in the Northwest Passage.
While acknowledging the increased militarization and shadow fleets operating in Arctic waters, the minister underlined that Canada remains committed to cooperation with like-minded countries through NATO, the Nordic Five (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), and other alliances.
“We have to understand our vulnerabilities,” Chartrand concluded, “but also our opportunities.”
