If we hope to prevent our adversaries from encroaching in the North, Canadians will have to start taking the region far more seriously

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As southern Ontario’s hot, sticky summer starts to wind down, the last thing on most people’s minds is the vast, frozen tundra of Canada’s Far North. But on Sept. 18, a group gathered in downtown Toronto to hear a broad range of experts discuss Arctic sovereignty and security.

Granted, the Far North has always been a very niche area of interest in Canada, which is curious for a country that prides itself on being a northern nation. But perhaps that’s to be expected when 90 per cent of our population lives within 160 kilometres of the U.S. border, many in cities such as Vancouver and Toronto that have relatively temperate climates.

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The fact remains, however, that the North constitutes 40 per cent of Canada’s landmass. And as temperatures warm and economic opportunities open up in the Arctic, it is a region that has attracted the attention of the world’s leading powers, Arctic states and even developing countries like India. Indeed, it often seems as though everyone wants a piece of the frozen pie, except Canada — a country that claims sovereignty over a quarter of the Arctic.

Yet as those who attended the Canadian Arctic Conference heard, Canada’s claim over the North is tenuous. Much of our claim to sovereignty rests with the approximately 200,000 Canadians who live in the Arctic. Unfortunately, governments of all stripes, and the current Liberals in particular, have treated the North as somewhat of an afterthought, which has left them without proper infrastructure and limited their economic opportunities.

The cost of “infrastructure development is about 145 … per cent higher in the North than in the south,” said naval warfare officer and Arctic policy expert Katherine Todd. “So these are really big, expensive projects.” And the situation has only got worse due to the high taxes imposed by the Trudeau Liberals, specifically the carbon tax.

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