⁠With this new plan, Canada is taking full ⁠responsibility for defending our Arctic sovereignty," Carney said. "The assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defense and security are being upended," he said on ⁠Thursday. In 2022, Ottawa announced a C$38.6 billion plan to modernize its defenses and the joint North American Aerospace Defense Command that Canada operates with the United States. Canada has four rudimentary Arctic airfields that can accommodate six fighters each, and around ⁠2,000 soldiers dotted around the region. Canada's Arctic region comprises approximately 25% of the global Arctic.

Source: The Star March 13, 2026 12:15 UTC