Lloyd Axworthy is chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council and a former Canadian foreign minister. Allan Rock is a former minister of justice and attorney general of Canada, and a former Canadian ambassador to the United Nations.
The Economist recently insisted that Canada’s “miserly” spending on defence is “increasingly embarrassing.” Last month the Wall Street Journal described us as a “NATO free-rider” since our defence budget comes well below NATO’s expectation of 2 per cent of GDP. And at a July Senate confirmation hearing for Lieutenant General Gregory M. Guillot as the new commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan pointedly criticized Canada’s defence commitments and asked Lt.-Gen. Guillot to promise that, if confirmed, he would raise the issue with his Canadian counterpart.
How things have changed since the end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the Soviet threat, when there was talk of a “peace dividend.” Today, the Russian invasion of Ukraine leaves no doubt about the military value of NATO and the importance of defending its borders. Sadly, we seem certain to return to some form of military stand-off with Russia, and intense competition, if not open conflict, with China. And if Xi Jinping becomes more aggressive toward Taiwan, conflict there may well become a reality.
The top priority for new Defence Minister Bill Blair will be to signal Canada’s enduring commitment to NATO. He can do so by building on the excellent work of his predecessor Anita Anand and the strong relationships she developed. He will also have to respond to the need for an overall upgrading of defence capability with a made-in-Canada approach, so that we do not simply allow our policy – and our defence spending – to be determined by American generals or members of Congress.
One way to do that is for Mr. Blair to return to a theme that was sounded by Ms. Anand early in her tenure at Defence, but has since slipped from sight: the need to reinforce Canada’s sovereign interests by investing in Arctic security as a part of our NATO commitment.
There is no doubt that Canada must be assertive in the Far North. Russia and Denmark have made overlapping claims to the Arctic seabed that challenge our long-standing assumptions about our interests there. And in recent years, Russia has established a substantial military presence in the Arctic, refitting old Cold War bases and building up new facilities that constitute a real and present threat to the northern reaches of the Alliance. Furthermore, Moscow’s efforts to assert control over the east-west passage in the Arctic Ocean could limit international access to that strategic route and give Russia an advantage in mineral development and resource management in the region.
With Sweden’s accession to NATO seemingly imminent, the alliance will soon have a total of six members in the northern circumference. It is past time for a Canadian-led diplomatic effort to bring them together in a co-ordinated NATO response to Russia’s Arctic aggression.
There are three concrete steps we can take to get that process under way.
First, we need to upgrade our capacity to patrol our Arctic interests. That means modernizing our contributions to NORAD by investing in sophisticated surveillance, drone capability, underseas monitoring and the year-round presence in the Arctic of a substantial cohort of Canadian military personnel (including an upgrade for our Ranger program). Ms. Anand’s unfulfilled commitment to procure new ice breakers should be revived, and we should at long last acquire modern and reliable submarine capacity.
Second, we need to invest in the infrastructure needed to supply and maintain a significant monitoring presence in the Arctic. Roads, landing sites and facilities to repair and maintain our equipment must be put in place. The town of Churchill, Man. – home to Canada’s only Arctic port – will need the investment to become a reliable hub for rail, road and sea travel.
Finally, we must involve the Indigenous population of the North in our plans. The Inuit Circumpolar Council has long promoted the designation of the Arctic as a “region of peace.” They must be included in discussions that build on the premise that the best way to secure peace in the region is to counter the malign influence of Russia and the global ambitions of China.
A quarter-century ago, Canada took the diplomatic lead in establishing the Arctic Council, which has since become the leading instrument for responding to climate change and promoting sustainable development in the Arctic. The time has come for Canada to undertake a similar effort aimed at achieving Arctic security co-operation under NATO auspices. By doing so, we would not only meet our NATO spending commitments, but also enhance our national security.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article stated incorrectly that U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan represented Arkansas. This version has been corrected.