CALGARY — The former US Secretary of Veterans Affairs has said Canada needs to take a more assertive role in securing the Arctic region, warning that the area is emerging as a crucial battlefield in the current global geopolitical climate.Speaking Thursday at an event hosted by the Modern Miracle Network, Robert Wilke — who served from 2018 to 2021 in the first Trump administration — argued that Canada’s geography and natural resources position it at the centre of North American defence, especially in light of growing Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic regions.“Forty per cent of your country is beyond the Arctic Circle or fairly close to it, and the high north stretches into the North Pole,” Wilke told the audience.“A robust and successful Canada is absolutely central for North America to plant its flag as the premier power on the planet.”He also stressed deeper cooperation between Canada and the US was needed, as well as closer ties with Scandinavian allies, to ensure Arctic shipping routes and resource development were not taken over and dominated by adversaries.“That will be done with a realistic military presence, and it will be done no matter what American politicians say,” Wilke stated.“The musings of the American president cannot be a smokescreen in Canada for inaction.”Wilke suggested Canada should consider increasing defence spending to as much as 3% of GDP, but emphasized that new investments should be focused on domestic pursuits rather than on foreign operations..Canadian military relies on just 300 personnel to patrol vast Arctic region .“[Funds] can be spent right here defending your great country in the High North,” he stated.The former secretary highlighted Canada’s historical contributions to global security, noting the country’s outsized role in conflicts such as the Second World War.“[Canada’s] a country that always punches above its weight,” he said.He pointed to the assault on Juno Beach during the D-Day landings as an example of Canadian fortitude, citing praise from former US president Dwight Eisenhower.“General Eisenhower, to his dying day, said the finest troops he ever commanded were Canadian,” Wilke said.“And in line with Canada's unique personality, those sacrifices were made without braggadocio and without histrionics.”He closed by encouraging Canadians to take greater ownership of their role in continental and domestic defence, including more actively promoting the country’s military contributions.“For four centuries, your leaders and your people have built a country through genius and sacrifice,” Wilke said.“It is up to each of you to tell the story of your country and to tell the story of the tremendous sacrifices that Canadians have made in their short history.”
