Question Period Note: Arctic sovereignty and security

How is National Defence adapting its capabilities and partnerships to address emerging security challenges and assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic?

• National Defence is committed to the sovereignty and security of the Canadian Arctic.
• Strategic competition, climate change, and advancements in emerging technologies are driving new security challenges.
• That is why National Defence, alongside its partners, is committed to defending the Arctic against threats to Canadian interests.
• In fact, over the summer, the military undertook a number of important activities in the North.
• This includes Operation LATITUDE, through which Canada participated in joint U.S.-Canadian maritime exercises in the Bering Sea
• This also includes a number of deployments under Operation NANOOK, such as NANOOK-TUUGAALIK and NANOOK-NUNAKPUT which are both multi-domain presence and awareness exercises in the Arctic.
• For example, during a recent serial, the Canadian Rangers were joined by members of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
• Together, they completed several long-range reconnaissance patrols across Ellesmere Island to enhance domain awareness while also informing future planning for security and sovereignty activities in our Arctic.
• The addition of the Canadian Coast Guard under my portfolio will allow for greater coordination with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Rangers, so that we can strengthen domain awareness in the Arctic even further.
• Further, new investments will allow the Canadian Armed Forces to maintain a year-round Arctic presence.
• For example, National Defence is building a satellite ground station in the Arctic and establishing Northern Operational Support Hubs.
• As our presence grows, we are also investing in multi-purpose, dual-use infrastructure to support Northern communities and strengthen regional security and resilience.
• Taken together, these activities and assets will strengthen the presence and the responsiveness of the Canadian Armed Forces in the Arctic.

CAF Presence in the Arctic

• The CAF’s permanent presence in the North is anchored by Joint Task Force North (JTFN) in Yellowknife with detachments in Iqaluit and Whitehorse, along with 440 Transport Squadron, 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group Headquarters and a Company of Reserve Infantry.
• The Canadian Army’s Arctic Response Company Groups have the ability to conduct sovereignty operations, facilitate disaster response support, and provide general assistance to other government departments in the Canadian North.
• The CAF’s footprint in the North and Inuit Nunangat also includes:
  • Canadian Forces Station Alert, the northernmost CAF outpost;
  • CAF Arctic Training Centre in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, which provides a permanent location for training and operations in the Arctic; and
  • Assets that support North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) operations, including the North Warning System, three Forward Operating Locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit, and one Deployed Operating Base in Goose Bay.
• National Defence supplements its capabilities in the North and Inuit Nunangat through collaboration with intergovernmental and Inuit and Northern First Nation and Metis partners, including through the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, which meets three times annually, and briefings to northern Premiers and Indigenous leaders.
• Canada will further bolster its presence in the Arctic with $2.672 billion over 20 years (cash basis) for Northern Operational Support Hubs. These hubs will better ensure Canadian sovereignty by establishing a greater year-round presence across the Arctic and the North, and investing in multi-use infrastructure that also meets the needs of the territories, Indigenous peoples, and Northern communities. On March 6, 2025, the Minister of National Defence announced Iqaluit, Inuvik, and Yellowknife as Northern Operational Support Hub locations.
• Further, the NORAD Northern Basing Infrastructure project, part of Canada’s NORAD modernization plan, will upgrade legacy and build new infrastructure to support NORAD and RCAF operations.
  • As part of this project, National Defence is maintaining and enhancing CAF infrastructure at Inuvik, Yellowknife, Iqaluit, 5 Wing Goose Bay, Alert, Rankin Inlet, the North Warning System, and the Whitehorse Cadet Camp. The investment covers recapitalization, modernization, replacement or addition of new critical infrastructure, airfield rehabilitation, as well as upgrades to security, information management/information technology and electrical systems.

Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) Project

• On March 18, 2025, Prime Minister Carney announced Canada’s intention to partner with the Government of Australia on advanced A-OTHR technology. Subsequently, in June 2025, Canada and Australia signed a technology partnership to advance collaboration to rapidly develop Canada’s A-OTHR capability.

Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar (P-OTHR) Project

• National Defence is conducting research and development into the Polar-OTHR capability, which will further extend surveillance coverage for early threat identification and warning.
• In April 2025, the Government of Canada awarded a two-year contract, valued at $48.4 million, as a joint venture between ATCO Frontec Ltd and Inuvialuit Development Corporation (IDC) to design, build, install and operate the Polar-OTHR research and development data collection system in the Northwest Territories.

International Cooperation

• National Defence maintains strategic-level collaboration with Arctic Allies and partners through regular multilateral policy dialogues such as the Northern Defence Dialogue at the Defence Ministerial level, the Arctic Chiefs of Defence meetings, the Arctic Security Forces Roundtable,, and the Arctic Security Policy Roundtable.
• National Defence is also committed to increasing information sharing and joint training opportunities with Arctic and non-Arctic partners, including through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
• Defence Research and Development Canada is an active participant in the International Cooperative Program for Polar Research with several Arctic nations to advance our scientific knowledge of the evolving Arctic.
• In July 2024, Canada, the United States and Finland announced an enhanced trilateral partnership called the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort, or ICE Pact, to build best-in-class Arctic and polar icebreakers.

Responsible Principals: Assistant Deputy Minister (Policy), Assistant Deputy Minister (Infrastructure and Environment), Canadian Army

Quick facts

Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Arctic Presence

• There are approximately 300 military personnel in the North and Inuit Nunangat.
• There are approximately 5,500 Canadian Rangers that maintain a meaningful presence in 205 remote and isolated communities, including over 1,500 Rangers in 66 Northern communities and Inuit Nunangat.
• On March 18, 2025, Prime Minister Carney announced $420 million in new funding to boost the presence of the CAF in the North and Inuit Nunangat.
  • The CAF is planning to expand its Northern and Arctic operations.
  • This expansion anticipates including more CAF personnel and the potential for increased inclusion of forces from Allied nations with an Arctic interest.
  • New activities aim to support a near year-round military presence through exercises and training to assert Canada’s presence and sovereignty as well as refine information-sharing processes.
  • Enabling increased Northern and Arctic operations will allow the CAF to better detect, deter, and defend against threats to Canada and North America.

Investments with an Arctic Nexus in Canada’s Defence Policy (cash basis)

• $6 billion for the development of Over-the-Horizon Radar (OTHR) technology.
• $420 million to expand Northern and Arctic operations to maintain and exert Canada’s sovereignty.
• $2.672 billion over 20 years to establish Northern Operational Support Hubs.
• $29.099 billion over 20 years to acquire a more modern, mobile, and effective tactical helicopter capability.
• $7.556 billion over 20 years for airborne early warning aircraft.
• $2.085 billion over 20 years to acquire specialized maritime sensors to conduct ocean surveillance.
• $985 million over 20 years to build a new satellite ground station in the Arctic.
• National Defence is acquiring additional conventionally powered, ice-capable submarines to enable the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to project a persistent deterrent on all three coasts, including in the Arctic.

Exercises and Operations

• CAF presence and responsiveness in the Arctic is maintained through regular national, bilateral, and multilateral exercises and operations.
• Operation LATITUDE focuses on increasing domain awareness in the Western Arctic and its approaches, in addition to enhancing interoperability with the United States military in the context of continental defence involving live-fire training, personnel exchanges, integrated drills, and tactical coordination.
• Operation NANOOK is the CAF’s signature Northern operation and takes place each year across Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Labrador. It involves engaging with Northern and Indigenous partners, territorial emergency planners and other government departments to identify threats to Northern communities and plan for disaster response.
• Now evolving into a persistent, all-domain operation, Op NANOOK will expand its Joint Operations Area, increase funding, and deepen Allied integration to better detect, deter, and defend against threats. It features up to five deployments throughout the year:
  • Operation NANOOK-NUNALIVUT demonstrates our ability to project and sustain forces in the High Arctic under the harshest conditions and test new capabilities and interoperability with Allies.
  • Operation NANOOK-TATIGIIT is a Whole of Government disaster response rehearsal that reinforces domestic and international Arctic partnerships to respond to security challenges and emergencies in the North.
  • Operation NANOOK-TUUGAALIK showcases the RCN’s ability to demonstrate its presence and conduct surveillance in the North in concert with partners and Allies.
  • Operation NANOOK-NUNAKPUT focuses on increasing our presence and surveillance along the Northwest Passage in cooperation with mission partners.
  • Operation NANOOK-TAKUNIQ is the newest serial, introduced as a concept development operation in 2025. It is designed as a pan-domain training and capability development operation focused on enhancing the capacity of the Canadian Rangers to act as Canada’s Eyes and Ears in the North, and to integrate with other organizations, sensors and surveillance capabilities.