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The Niagara Independent, March 19, 2021 \u2013 <\/em>Decisions about the federal government\u2019s Arctic policy are long overdue. With recent activities in the Arctic by Russia and China, it has become critical that there be discussions about development in the north and the defense of North America. Further to this, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan appears to be vacillating on Canada\u2019s participation in renewing and updating North America\u2019s early warning defence system.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s silence on all matters relating to the north has brought into question Canada\u2019s commitments to the territory.<\/p>\n Earlier this month Canadians learned of two Russian reconnaissance aircraft being intercepted in Canadian airspace. The North American Aerospace Defence Command answered the call to steer the Russian planes clear of the area. Cat and mouse games in the Arctic are now common as both Russian and Chinese military increase their air and naval activities in the region. But more disturbing is the advances being made in hypersonic missile technology by these countries \u2013 advances that make defence of the Arctic imperative for the U.S. (and presumably Canada).<\/p>\n With respect to North American security issues, the Arctic is now identified by the U.S. military intelligence as \u201ca zone of international competition.\u201d<\/p>\n This week there was an announcement about a NORAD Arctic air defence exercise involving both American and Canadian military aircraft. Joint forces will conduct missions across northern Canada and Greenland to practice emergency scenarios involving hijackings, calls of unknown aircraft \u2013 and \u201cairspace restriction violations.\u201d A written NORAD statement read: \u201cThis air defence exercise provides us the opportunity to hone our skills as Canadian and U.S. forces operate together with our allies and partners in the Arctic.\u201d<\/p>\n Commander Gen. Glen VanHerck commented on the need for this exercise, \u201cLast year, NORAD responded to more Russian military flights off the coast of Alaska than we\u2019ve seen in any year since the end of the Cold War. These Russian military operations include multiple flights of heavy bombers, anti-submarine aircraft, and intelligence collection platforms near Alaska.\u201d<\/p>\n Communist China has also become an issue with respect to sovereignty in the north. Although China is not geographically within the region, the country is a member of the international Arctic Council, which includes Canada and all countries within the Arctic Circle. In 2018, the Communist China Party made public its Arctic policy that pronounces an interest in expanding China\u2019s reach through the Arctic territories. Entitled\u00a0\u201cPolar Silk Road\u201d<\/em>, China\u2019s design is to integrate its northern development strategies with its international economic expansionist plans as set out in the\u00a0\u201cBelt and Road Initiative.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Chinese are most interested in the Arctic\u2019s resource reserves, including oil, natural gas, and the rare-earth minerals used in manufacturing everything from computers and iphones to solar panels and car batteries. China has taken a multi-prong approach coopting Canadian partnerships. In recent years China entered into a number of scientific research initiatives with Canadian research bodies and universities and these ventures are allowing a growing presence in the Arctic.\u00a0 Its military has also participated in joint military winter training exercises with Canadian Forces. Furthermore, Chinese state-owned mining companies have attempted to purchase stakes in mining properties in Canada\u2019s north.<\/p>\n China\u2019s publicly stated \u201cpractical cooperation\u201d approach to Arctic development has not been embraced by Canadian officials in the Department of National Defence. In fact, Deputy Minister Jody Thomas has tagged the Chinese interests as an \u201cArctic threat.\u201d<\/p>\n In a recent Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence, Thomas warned of China\u2019s intent to deplete Canada\u2019s rich natural resources, \u201cWe should not underestimate at all that threat of resource exploitation in the Arctic by China in particular. China has a voracious appetite and will stop at nothing to feed itself, and the Arctic is one of the last domains and regions left and we have to understand it and exploit it and more quickly than they can exploit it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadian defence official also did not mince her words concerning Russia\u2019s military presence in the north. She noted the construction of the Russian Arctic military bases and the new fleet of 13 Russian polar icebreakers and stated, \u201cNobody would invest the kind of money in building up the military capacity in the Arctic without reason, intent or purpose. We should not be naive about that. It doesn\u2019t mean it is immediate \u2013 but it is there.\u201d<\/p>\n As the darkened storm clouds gather, the Trudeau government and its Defence Minister remain silent. The reason for that silence is likely money. With the government\u2019s pandemic spending and its endless promises in increasing social programs and orchestrating Canada\u2019s green recovery, the multibillion dollar price tag to rebuild North America\u2019s defence early-warning system may be problematic. In the Trudeau government\u2019s 2017 defence policy the NORAD defence costs were omitted. But cost estimates for this project are as high as $15 billion. Given that the operational life of the current warning system comes due in 2024, there will soon need to be a public discussion and accounting for the NORAD defence system.<\/p>\n In a recent\u00a0CBC News<\/em>\u00a0commentary of the government\u2019s posturing on Arctic policy, James Fergusson of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba is quoted: \u201cWith the public largely uninformed and disinterested, the media paying only sporadic attention \u2026 it is no wonder that the Trudeau government has remained silent.\u201d<\/p>\n Ferguson surmised, \u201cYet, repeatedly over time, silence backfires on government when the issue suddenly and unexpectedly explodes onto the public agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n Canadians can only hope Ferguson\u2019s choice of words is not prophetic. For multiple reasons on multiple fronts, it is time to discuss Canada\u2019s Arctic policy.<\/p>\n Chris George<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is an Ottawa-based government affairs advisor and wordsmith, president of\u00a0CG&A COMMUNICATIONS<\/a>. Contact:\u00a0ChrisG.George@gmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n