By Jessica Stewart and Branka Marijan
As the Arctic undergoes a dramatic transformation from climate change, Canada also finds itself a significant competitor in a new global race. Melting ice caps represent not only environmental catastrophe but new targets for the ambitions of geopolitical adversaries.
There is no denying the Arctic’s strategic significance to many states. Many see the Arctic as a critical area, rich with opportunities to extract rare minerals and other essential resources, develop alternative shipping routes, extend economic infrastructure, and establish new military strongholds. In most cases, cooperation and competition are balanced among likeminded North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, such as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and the United States.
However, more hostile states, such as Russia and China, are making aggressive moves that Canada, a northern nation with the second-largest Arctic landmass, cannot afford to ignore. Russia is building up its military in its own Arctic region by constructing new airfields, ports and submarines. China is also growing its presence in the north; Chinese vessels are not only carrying out scientific research but gathering intelligence and furthering military research. For the moment, as national security expert Wesley Wark notes, both the Russians and Chinese are focusing on economic infrastructure and resource extraction; for example, between 10 and 20 per cent of Russia’s GDP comes from the Arctic.
Against this background, Canada’s new Arctic Foreign Policy was released on December 6, 2024. With security and protection of sovereignty at its core, this new policy attempts to juggle domestic and foreign interests and commitments. Importantly, it juxtaposes the pressing challenges of climate change with the shifting dynamics of regional geopolitics. A good beginning, the policy still needs to clarify specific steps that must be taken to achieve the declared objectives. As well, implementers must take care not to view the Arctic though a simple security lens.