NATO Member Canada's Foreign Minister Unveils Arctic Foreign Policy - plus Minister of National Defence Weighs In

According to Global Affairs Canada,the Arctic is experiencing major changes.The shifting geopolitical landscape,evolving security threats and accelerating climate change are impacting the Arctic in unique ways and highlight the need for strong Canadian leadership to respond to the changing reality in the region.That is why the Honourabla Melanie Joly,PC MP,Minister of Foreign Affairs,on O6 DEC 2024 announced the launch of Canada's Arctic Foreign Policy (AFP).The AFP is the culmination of months of extensive engagement with territorial and provincial governments and Inuit,First Nations and Metis.The AFP was also informed by consultations with the Kingdom of Denmark;Finland;Iceland;Norway;Sweden;and the United States,Canada's like-minded Arctic Partners.The AFP is also a comprehensive diplomatic strategy for Canada's engagement in and on the Arctic.It provides expanded presence and partnerships to address current needs and the flexibility to adapt to future challenges.This approach complements the 2019 Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF),and it will allow Canada to continue to safeguard its sovereignty,advance national interests and promote a stable,prosperous and secure Arctic based on a shared vision of the region's future.The AFP is comprised of four foreign policy pillars:asserting Canada's sovereignty;advancing Canada's interests through pragmatic diplomacy;leadership on Arctic governance and multilateral challenges;and adopting a more inclusive approach to Arctic diplomacy.Said Foreign Minsiter Joly:We are in a tough world.Competiton is growing across the globe,and the Arctic is not immune.Many countries,including non-Arctic states,aspire for a greater role in Arctic affairs.The evolving security and evolving security and political realities in the region mean we need a new approach to advance our national interests...Canada will open new consulates in Alaska and Greenland,appoint an Arctic ambassador (an Indigenous person),and continue its boundary negotiations with the United States over the Beaufort Sea.The 37 page document also warns of Russian activity in the Arctic,including modernisation of its Arctic infrastructure and military capabilities.The Canadian Forces station in Alert,Ellesmere Island,is closer to Russia's air force base at Nagurskoye,Russia than Iqaluit (capital of Nunavut Territory) is to Ottawa,or Toronto is to Winnipeg.*Said Foreign Minister Joly:It is clear that Russia has no red lines.The Arctic is no longer a low-tension region.*According to the Honourable William Sterling Blair,PC,COM,MP,Minister of National Defence,in the document Our North,Strong and Free:Here at home,Canadians are depending more on the Canadian Armed Forces-our Regular and Reserved Forces and our Canadian Rangers...We are seeing greater Russian activity in our air approaches,and a growing number of Chinese vessels and surveillance platforms are mapping and collecting data about the region.Meanwhile,states are rapidly building up their military capabilities that impact our security in the Arctic-including submarines,long-range aircraft and hypersonic missiles that move faster and are harder to detect.As the Arctic becomes more accessible to foreign actors,we need to ensure our military has the tools to assert our sovereignty and protect Canada's interests.*At the same time,Canada's interests do not stop at our border.Russia's illegal and unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine is an attack on the system of international rules and institutions that enable thr security and prosperity of Canada and Canadians;we must remain steadfast in our support of Ukraine.Furthermore,an increasingly assertive China challenges the international order in the Indo-Pacific.Canada must maintain a reliable,persistent military presence to uphold the global rules that underpin our prosperity and sovereignty.*Today we are confronted with a complex,generational challenge.The world is at an inflection point.Democracy,free trade and the rules and values that underpin them are increasingly being challenged by authoritarian states.In parallel,the character of conflict is changing as technonology evolves rapidly.Ultimately,our closest values of democracy,freedom,peace and fairness-which Canadians have fought and died to defend-are being challenged...In 2017,we released Strong,Secure,Engaged-Canada's defence policy,to ensure long-term,predictable,stable funding to National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).Seven years on,Canada's defence strategy remains in an upward trajectory,consistent with our commitment to meet NATO's Defence Investment Pladge.We are aqcuiring new fighter jets (Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs) and Maritime Patrol Aircraft,and new built-in Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels have been delivered to Canadian Sailors.In 2022,we invested 38.6 billion to modernise our contribution to the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).*NORAD is the only bi-national military command in the world,ensuring areospace warning and control and maritime warning for the United States and Canada.*Lockheed Martin (LMT)