Canada’s Arctic is under threat — from climate change and the belligerence of Russia and China, both of which share an interest in the region’s energy resources, rare and highly prized minerals and seafood. Russia’s massive build-up of military bases on its Arctic shoreline and its occasional probing of North American defence systems sit uncomfortably alongside China’s efforts to style itself as a “near Arctic state.”

These are multiple wake-up calls for Canada and its NORAD partner, the United States. A 2021 NORAD–U.S. Northern Command strategy paper was blunt in stating: “The American and Canadian people are safe and secure today but, without intentional efforts to counter our competitors’ fast-paced advances, our competitive advantage will erode.”

Canada’s defence modernization strategy was outlined by Canada’s Minister of National Defence Anita Anand in June 2022 in an announcement of new funding for NORAD infrastructure: $4.9 billion for the first six years, with $38.6 billion allocated over 20 years. The announcement was an outgrowth of Canada’s 2017 vision and plan for defence modernization, Strong, Secure, Engaged.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a further wake-up call and adds to the urgency of re-evaluating our defence capabilities in the North. Canada now has an unprecedented opportunity to modernize urgently needed defence infrastructure in the Arctic — but many observers are already saying that more investment will be needed.

Part of the need for investment comes from the sheer scale and characteristics of Canada’s Arctic. It represents 40% of Canada’s land mass, 75% of its coastline, and a population of around 140,000, representing 0.3% of Canada’s population in 72 communities. This alone makes defending the Arctic a significant challenge.

The Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs selected Arctic security as a priority for study in 2022. Having heard from scores of witnesses, the committee travelled to the Arctic in October — visiting Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, as well as Inuvik, Tuktoyaktuk and Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. The committee met with members of the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Rangers, as well as Indigenous leaders, government representatives, and local and regional political leaders.

Senators heard about the need for updated defence infrastructure, as well as personnel to manage new equipment. They also saw first-hand some of the aging infrastructure that will attract new funding for much-needed upgrades.

One of these locations included the North Warning System (NWS) in Cambridge Bay, which contains 30-year-old technology that was not designed to detect modern weapons, such as long-range cruise and hypersonic missiles. The update to the NWS will include an Arctic over-the-horizon radar system that would provide early-warning radar coverage and threat tracking from the Canada–U.S. border up to the Arctic Circle.

This would work hand-in-hand with upgraded space-based surveillance that would allow the CAF to significantly expand overall situational awareness and improve Canada’s current capacity to monitor ships approaching Canadian waters. Other important updates include modernizing communications and internet connectivity to improve the efficiency and range of communication between CAF stations and members in the field. All of this is in a context in which Canadian ground forces are likely to transition away from developing more fixed facilities on the ground and towards agile and rapid fit-for-purpose deployment, based on situational needs — whether it be defence capacity or search and rescue.

Senators also heard about the positive impact that new investments in the Arctic could bring to Indigenous communities. We have seen an example of this already: in late January 2022, Nasittuq Corporation — a company majority-owned by Inuit — won a seven-year contract for the maintenance and operation of the North Warning System valued at $592 million.

Investments in defence capabilities also have mutual benefits for social infrastructure. Indigenous leaders told senators that they believe new investments would create collateral opportunities for economic and social infrastructure in northern communities — particularly in critical areas such as cleaner energy and water, resilient broadband, roads and airport facilities. These types of investments are also key in ensuring security and sovereignty in the Arctic.

Moving forward, it will be important to identify, as much as possible, the social and economic benefits that will realistically accrue from security and defence spending — and to make these a priority in collaborative planning, decision-making and execution.

Senator Tony Dean is chair of the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veterans Affairs. He represents Ontario in the Senate.

A version of this article appeared in the November 23, 2022 edition of The Hill Times, as part of the special policy briefing on defence.