Protecting Canada’s Arctic won’t come from weapons alone.
Canada’s Arctic sovereignty is under renewed pressure, with China deploying surveillance vessels into Arctic waters, Russia intensifying its military presence in the circumpolar North, and the United States threatening the annexation of both Canada and Greenland. The path to protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty isn’t through military might or muscle, it’s by strengthening connections with the people who already live there.
It’s becoming clear that the Canadian Arctic is no longer a distant frontier that the federal government can ignore. Instead, it’s a competitive arena Canada must defend from foreign powers wanting to lay claim to its abundant resources and critical minerals.
Recognizing the threat, Canada has begun building its defence, investing in new surveillance technology and supporting a near year-round military presence in the region. While these steps are important, the fact of the matter remains; should the United States or China choose to make their move, Canada is still light-years away from having any shot at militarily outspending either country.
Fortunately, Canada has one advantage that competing powers could only dream of: the knowledge and presence of our Indigenous communities.
The Arctic’s an incredibly difficult and hostile terrain to traverse. Yet, according to Warrant Officer Jim Davison, the Canadian Rangers—a sub-component of the Canadian Army Reserve largely drawn from Indigenous communities—have learned how to use wind conditions and snow drifts to navigate the land without GPS. This knowledge helps troops find food and shelter even in seemingly barren and hostile environments.
Just as the Soviets once harnessed their knowledge of extreme winters to best German forces during the Battle of Moscow, Canada could harness the Indigenous knowledge of Arctic terrain to defend the region and best any potential opponents.
But instead of recognizing and honing in on this advantage, the federal government is leaving the Canadian Rangers, and the communities they come from, in the lurch. Indigenous communities in the North have been left without sufficient education systems, food security, basic railroad infrastructure, reliable internet, or other essential infrastructures.
In turn, many young Inuit are leaving their communities in search of economic opportunity, which has left the average age of the Canadian Rangers sitting around fifty-four. This hasn’t helped by the fact that the Rangers are chronically underfunded, with some Rangers still being asked to buy their own gear, which further lessens its appeal for young recruits.
Further empowering Indigenous communities isn’t just some symbolic gesture; it’s a strategic necessity. Healthy Northern communities with more abundant resources and secure communications will be better able to retain promising young members and to continue passing on and developing their sense of domain awareness.
Foreign powers can throw whatever force they’re able to muster at the Arctic, but only Canada has a rooted presence there. No amount of satellite or surveillance technology can replicate the ecological knowledge that Inuit families and hunters have gained from traversing their homelands almost annually.
While Canada must continue investing in traditional military and security options for the Arctic, it would be remiss not recognize the value in advancing their Northern communities and partnerships, as they may be the most practical advantage Canada has.
Yael is a fourth-year Political Studies and History student and one of The Journal’s Assistant News Editors.
Tags
Arctic sovereignty, Artic, Canada, Indigenous peoples, Protection
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