Experts Found: 1
Environment, Indigenous and Northern issues, Indigenous economic development, Energy Policy
Senior Fellow and Director of Natural Resources, Energy, and Environment
“The painful, long-standing problem in Canada is that southern Canadians do not care much about the Far North or Arctic defence…
When the U.S. gets frisky, or when Russia gets more aggressive or China more assertive, Canadians are temporarily intrigued and even mildly concerned. They demand attention be paid to the Arctic, but are usually satiated by the release of a defence strategy and a few photo opportunities…”
– Ken Coates, distinguished fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
– Premier Ranj Pillai, Yukon
It is long past time for the Arctic to receive serious and sustained attention in Ottawa.
As Ken Coates and Premier Pillai explained in their op-ed for the Globe, for decades Canada has only invested in the Arctic in light of some combination of global security threats and frustration from our neighbours to the South for our failure to defend their Northern flank.
After the release of Canada’s Arctic Foreign Policy in 2024, MLI senior fellow Dan Pujdak wrote: “Canada is maintaining a static response to rapidly evolving global events without a strong vision of what Canada wants to be as an Arctic state or clear commitments about what we might do to get there.”
Enough is enough. The Arctic is worthy of our attention beyond lip service in dense policy docs and photo-ops for politicians.
It is time for Ottawa to put forward a plan for…
A Prosperous Arctic...
Instead of constantly laying down regulatory barriers, governments must work to create better conditions for investment in mines and infrastructure in the North.
Canadians must understand that developing the North is not a prerogative, it is self-interest. Northern mineral resources have the potential to set our nation up for greater prosperity and security while improving socio-economic conditions in northern communities and providing greater self-determination for northern governments.
Canada must continue to move towards economic self-sufficiency for territories and Indigenous nations in the region, and this will only be accomplished through sustainable resource development.
A Secure Arctic...
In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the peaceful decades (at least for the West) that followed, Canada allowed our defence capabilities in the North to diminish. But the world has changed and we must change course with it. This includes accelerating NORAD modernization.
The Arctic is an epicenter of geopolitical competition. Our adversaries are advancing and our allies (both the US and NATO) are looking to us to step up and defend, at the very least, our own territory. We need a pan-government approach to rethinking our security; all relevant policies must be re-written integrating security as a central (not peripheral) theme.
With the Rules Based International Order on life support the Arctic risks being ungoverned. Diplomatic tensions in the Arctic Council means that the once productive body is approaching irrelevance. We need alternative diplomatic venues and a real plan to engage globally as an Arctic state.
A Self-determining Arctic...
Ottawa only signed the Nunavut Devolution Agreement (which finally transferred responsibility for land and natural resources to the territorial government) in 2024. It was a positive step in the evolution of northern governance but much more can be done across the Territories to move from de jure self-determination to de facto self-determination.
Improving governance frameworks so the Arctic is less dependent on an often disengaged south, with greater incentives for collaboration and efficiency, and better social outcomes in terms of value of public dollars spent, must be a priority.
Not more government, but better government for the North is a worthy goal.
MLI's Arctic thought leadership:
MLI's Arctic Experts:
Experts Found: 1
Defence, National security, Security, Canadian foreign policy, Canadian and American foreign and defence policy, Modern airpower, Canadian defence, Canada-US relations, NATO
Director of Foreign Policy, National Defence and National Security
Experts Found: 1
Experts Found: 1
Experts Found: 1
Regional economic development, Post-secondary education, Aboriginal rights, Northern treaty and land claims processes
Distinguished Fellow
Experts Found: 1
