Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Secretary General of NATO have met in Canada’s North over the past two days to hammer home that defending the Arctic matters more than ever in the face of a chest-pumping Russia in this region of the planet. But this show of force stopped there. Canada has no intention of ceding control of its northern defence, Trudeau insisted.
Jens Stoltenberg’s visit was not accidental. “The shortest route to North America for Russian missiles and bombing planes would be to fly over the North Pole and the Polar Sea,” he noted at a press conference, at the end of his two-day journey that took him to Nunavut and northern Alberta.
This makes the sovereignty of the Canadian North important not only to Canada, but also to European countries and to all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, argued Mr. Stoltenberg.
Russia has strengthened its military presence and installations in the Arctic. China has declared itself a “Near Arctic State”. “Our response is through a strong and predictable presence in the region,” argued the NATO Secretary General.
Canada will not cede part of the responsibility for protecting the north of the North American continent. “Let me be very clear: Canada’s position on the Arctic has not changed at all. Defense of the Arctic in Canada is done through NORAD, ”said Prime Minister Trudeau alongside Mr. Stoltenberg, at the Cold Lake military base in northern Alberta. Surveillance and protection of the continent’s northern flank is the responsibility of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), shared by Canada and the United States.
This does not prevent Canada, as a member of NATO, from “coordinating” with the alliance and inviting its Secretary General “to see what we are doing to ensure the defense of Canada , of North America and therefore of the western and northern approaches to NATO,” added Mr. Trudeau.
But Canada maintains its exclusive role—together with the United States—in the Far North.
NATO’s Growing Interest
This refusal to see NATO meddle in Arctic affairs has persisted for years, explains Carleton University professor Elinor Sloan.
“There is a contingent within NATO that wants to see a role for the alliance in the Arctic. But Canada does not want it, ”reports this North American security and defense expert. Some Nordic countries, such as Norway, which is increasingly worried about Russia’s behavior, would like NATO to have a formal role rather than seeing Canada and the United States collaborate militarily with only certain countries.
Secretary General Stoltenberg has made a point of pointing out on a number of occasions that once Sweden and Finland are officially members of NATO, the alliance will bring together seven of the eight Nordic countries – with the exception of Russia. .
In particular, the Prime Minister attended for the first time, accompanied by Mr. Stoltenberg on Thursday, the annual Operation Nanook in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.
The visit demonstrates, according to military experts, that the Trudeau government is once again prioritizing the defense of the Arctic. Defense Minister Anita Anand pledged $4.9 billion over six years in June to modernize NORAD’s continental defense capabilities. The government has pledged to spend a total of $40 billion over 20 years, but details have yet to be released.
Military spending dodged
Neither Secretary General Stoltenberg nor Prime Minister Trudeau wanted to discuss NATO’s military spending threshold. Member countries have pledged to contribute 2% of their gross domestic product. The Secretary General’s latest report, at the end of June, estimated that Canada will spend 1.27% of its GDP this year, down from the 1.36% estimated for 2021.
“Canada continues to invest significantly in our armed forces with the investments that we have planned over the past few years,” said Mr. Trudeau, when he was asked if the target of 2% of GDP had been discussed during his meetings with the Secretary General. Mr. Stoltenberg did not take the floor to comment.
NATO member countries recommitted themselves to achieving this famous target at the alliance’s last summit in June in Spain. The secretary general then said that it is “a floor, not a ceiling”.
“If we reduce our military spending when tensions ease, we must be able to increase them when tensions are on the rise and we live in a more dangerous world,” he added.