Conservatives will defend our Arctic by building new bases, acquiring more aircraft, building an Arctic Security Corridor, and establishing a new reserve unit to Put Canadian Sovereignty First – For a Change.

Yellowknife, NWT – Chris Warkentin, Conservative candidate for Grande Prairie, announced the second phase of the Canada First Arctic Defence Plan today in Yellowknife. In the face of rising global threats and growing foreign interest in the North, Conservatives are taking bold action to secure Canadian sovereignty and defend our Arctic. 

For years, Canada believed our geography would protect us. But the three oceans no longer shield us from the ambitions of hostile powers. China has declared itself a “near Arctic power,” despite being 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic Circle. They’ve sent icebreakers north, and last year, a Chinese vessel was spotted by our Royal Canadian Navy in the Bering Strait. Russia, meanwhile, continues to reopen former Soviet bases and dispatch fighter jets near our airspace—prompting a dozen interceptions just this past year.

Yet after a Lost Liberal Decade, Canada remains dangerously unprepared. The Liberals failed to grasp the strategic urgency of our North. Projects have stalled. Bases sit undeveloped. And our Canadian Armed Forces are forced to operate with outdated equipment.

A new Conservative Government will fix this. Part II of the Canada First Arctic Defence Plan to defend our Arctic will: 

1. Upgrade the Forward Operating Location in Inuvik to full base status (CFB Inuvik) to host fighter jets and Husky tankers—enabling quick interceptions of Russian and Chinese incursions and securing the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage.
2. Procure a fleet of Airborne Early Warning and Control (AWACS) aircraft to increase radar surveillance and command capabilities in Arctic skies.
3. Build the Arctic Security Corridor, a 600 km all-season road from Yellowknife to Grays Bay, including a strategic upgrade to the Port of Grays Bay.
4. Establish a new Canadian Army reserve unit in Whitehorse and restore Operation NANOOK to its full strength, as under the previous Conservative government.
5. Construct a new Arctic Naval Base in Churchill, Manitoba, to support Canada’s growing fleet of polar icebreakers and secure Arctic shipping routes.

Part I of the Canada First Arctic Defence Plan will:

1. Double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers, from 2,000 to 4,000 personnel.
2. Acquire two additional polar icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy and deliver two more already being built, which the Liberals still refuse to timeline.
3. Build Canada’s first permanent Arctic military base since the Cold War: CFB Iqaluit, within two years of forming government.

This is in addition to NORAD upgrades and investments in tactical helicopters, advanced air-to-air missiles, satellite ground support, and forward base enhancements in Yellowknife and Goose Bay.

“Our North is our strength, but Liberal governments have turned it into a vulnerability” said Warkentin. “But where the Liberals failed to act, Conservatives are ready to lead with a real plan to work with local Indigenous people to protect Canada’s sovereignty and harness the full potential of our Arctic.”

Only Pierre Poilievre and the Common Sense Conservatives will put Canada First—For a Change.