BRULOTTE: Canada is losing the race for the Arctic

Dr. Bryan Brulotte is Chairman of Sterling-Trust, a Canadian private equity firm. He holds a doctorate in business and brings more than four decades of leadership experience spanning the military, private, and public sectors. He recently joined the NATO Association of Canada as Vice Chairman.For generations, Canadians have viewed the Arctic as a distant wilderness defined by ice, isolation, and breathtaking landscapes. It has been a source of national pride, but rarely a source of urgency. Protected by geography and separated from the world's major centres of power, we assumed the North would remain secure simply because of its remoteness.That assumption no longer holds. The race for the Arctic has already begun, and while Canada still speaks of potential, other nations are investing, building, and positioning themselves for a future in which the Arctic will become one of the world's most strategically important regions.The Arctic represents approximately 40% of Canada's landmass and nearly 75% of our coastline, making it one of our greatest national assets. It is also one of our greatest economic opportunities. The Arctic is estimated to contain 13% of the world's undiscovered oil and nearly 30% of its undiscovered natural gas, equivalent to roughly 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Canada's North also contains significant deposits of rare earth elements, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and copper, minerals that will underpin advanced manufacturing, defence production, and the technologies of the twenty-first century.The competition for the Arctic is therefore not simply about territory. It is about access to the resources that will power the economies and defence industries of the future. Nations that secure reliable supplies of critical minerals and energy will enjoy strategic advantages long after today's geopolitical tensions have passed. The Arctic is becoming an economic prize as much as a military one..Russia clearly understands this reality. Over the past decade, Moscow has invested heavily in rebuilding Arctic military capabilities. It has reopened former Soviet bases, expanded airfields, modernized ports, deployed advanced air defence systems, and strengthened the Northern Fleet, which remains central to Russia's nuclear deterrent. Russia also possesses the world's largest fleet of icebreakers, enabling it to sustain military and commercial operations across the High North throughout much of the year.The Arctic is no longer Russia's northern flank. It has become one of its principal military theatres and a cornerstone of its long-term strategic planning.China presents a different but equally significant challenge. Although geographically distant, Beijing has steadily increased its Arctic ambitions through investments, scientific research, and diplomatic engagement. Its Polar Silk Road initiative seeks to integrate Arctic shipping into China's broader Belt and Road strategy while securing long-term access to resources, infrastructure, and transportation corridors. China's objective is straightforward: establish influence today to secure strategic and economic advantage tomorrow.Canada must recognize that sovereignty is not maintained through declarations alone. It is demonstrated through continuous presence, capable institutions, economic activity, and credible military power. History repeatedly teaches that weakly governed spaces eventually attract competing interests. International law carries greater weight when backed by sustained national capability..Canada's challenge is magnified by simple geography. North of the sixtieth parallel lies roughly four million square kilometres of territory inhabited by only about 130,000 Canadians. That amounts to less than one resident for every thirty square kilometres. Such vast distances make surveillance, transportation, communications, and military response extraordinarily difficult. They also reinforce an uncomfortable reality: sovereignty cannot rest on maps alone. It must be demonstrated through continuous presence.Unfortunately, Canada's record has not kept pace with the changing strategic environment. Successive governments have acknowledged the Arctic's importance, yet implementation has often proceeded slowly. Defence procurement delays have become routine. Infrastructure projects require years to move from announcement to completion. Military readiness has struggled with personnel shortages while northern logistics remain difficult and expensive.Important initiatives are underway. The modernization of NORAD, investments in over-the-horizon radar, new surveillance systems, Arctic Offshore Patrol Ships, and expanded cooperation with allies all represent meaningful progress. These initiatives deserve support, but progress alone is insufficient if the strategic environment is evolving even faster.Canada now requires a comprehensive Arctic strategy that integrates national defence, economic development, resource extraction, transportation infrastructure, and scientific research into a single national vision. The objective should be straightforward: strengthen Canadian sovereignty while unlocking the immense economic potential of the North. That strategy should rest upon four priorities.First, dramatically improve surveillance through modern radar, space-based sensors, underwater detection systems, and unmanned platforms capable of providing continuous awareness across Canada's northern approaches..Second, improve mobility by investing in ports, airfields, communications networks, and transportation infrastructure that allow military and civilian authorities to operate year-round.Third, expand Canada's military presence through the Canadian Rangers, the Regular Force, the Reserve Force, and regular multinational exercises with trusted allies.Fourth, accelerate the responsible development of northern oil, natural gas, and critical mineral resources. Resource development is not merely an economic opportunity. It is a strategic instrument of sovereignty. Nations that invest, build, and produce in the Arctic will shape its future.Canada's Arctic strategy should also include meaningful partnerships with northern indigenous communities. For generations, Inuit and other northern indigenous peoples have lived and travelled throughout the Arctic, developing valuable local knowledge of its geography and environment. Their experience can strengthen surveillance, emergency response, infrastructure development, and the Canadian Rangers.As Canada expands its northern presence, governments should work collaboratively with indigenous communities while ensuring that national defence, sovereignty, and security remain responsibilities of the Government of Canada. Stronger infrastructure, healthcare, communications, education, and economic opportunities will benefit northern residents while reinforcing Canadian sovereignty..Canada also cannot secure the Arctic alone. Cooperation with the United States, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and other NATO allies will become increasingly important as Arctic security becomes more closely linked to transatlantic defence. Joint exercises, intelligence sharing, interoperable capabilities, and coordinated investments should become routine. Strong alliances, however, complement national capability. They cannot replace it.Many Canadians still think of the Arctic as something remote, disconnected from everyday life in Calgary, Regina, Toronto, or Vancouver. That perception is increasingly outdated. The Arctic will influence Canada's economic prosperity, energy security, critical mineral supply chains, national defence, and international standing for generations to come.The defining question is no longer whether the Arctic matters. It is whether Canada is prepared to secure one of the world's richest frontiers before others determine its future.The race for the Arctic has already begun. Geography alone will not secure Canada's sovereignty. Only sustained national will, strategic investment, and a long-term commitment to develop, defend, and occupy the North will ensure that the Arctic remains unmistakably Canadian.Dr. Bryan Brulotte is Chairman of Sterling-Trust, a Canadian private equity firm. He holds a doctorate in business and brings more than four decades of leadership experience spanning the military, private, and public sectors. He recently joined the NATO Association of Canada as Vice Chairman.

BRULOTTE: Canada is losing the race for the Arctic

Related Stories

DND poll finds more Canadians see Trump as top security threat than China or Russia

Two-thirds of Canadians in favour of hosting World Cup in 2038

WATCH: First Nations chiefs demand public inquiry into Ontario’s wildfire response

First Nations offered $1 billion ownership stake in LNG Canada expansion