Faced with heated threats in the Arctic and American uncertainty in bilateral cooperation, Arctic sovereignty and security has emerged at the forefront of security concerns in the recent Canadian federal election.
We met with Dr. Andrea Charron and Dr. Whitney Lackenbauer to discuss Canada’s answer to the Arctic question. With the 51st narrative still looming high on Canada’s mind, NORAD cooperation— tasked with protecting the Canadian-American Arctic air space—now faces new threats and stipulations that require the collaboration of Arctic Council allies and definitive Arctic infrastructure development.
Investment in the Arctic’s infrastructure promises to benefit local communities and advance military development, but Lackenbauer and Charron emphasize that development must involve Indigenous communities in order to respect centuries of Arctic safety. As climate change exposes new pathways for adversaries to send surveillance technologies into newly passable terrain, Canada must look towards its Nordic allies to grow its potential for Arctic Security and diversity Canadian security.
Canada is facing a pressing security issue independently with the unique opportunity to prioritize security issues without the influence of American guarantees; how Canada chooses to move forward will govern its approach to security issues in the future.
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Key Points:
- Strengthening new partnerships and continual work with Indigenous communities will be the future of Arctic security relationships.
- NORAD modernization is essential to Arctic security despite the question of bilateral cooperation with the American administration.
- Infrastructure development in the Arctic will be quintessential to maintaining a military presence in the Arctic and to ensure the happiness and health of local Arctic communities who sustain and protect the region.
- The Arctic policy presented by the current Liberal government shows promise for the region and the work of the diplomatic teams show increased collaboration with allies.
