Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a large-scale investment program in military infrastructure in the Arctic region. The government plans to allocate about 35 billion Canadian dollars to strengthen the defense presence in the north of the country. This was reported by the Financial Times, writes UNN.
Details
The bulk of the funds will go to the development of three advanced operational bases in the cities of Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit. According to Carney, these facilities should allow the Canadian armed forces to effectively defend the Arctic region even without the support of allies.
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The Prime Minister emphasized that the investments will go to modernizing airfields, building hangars, ammunition and fuel depots, as well as developing military and information systems.
Canada takes full responsibility for protecting our Arctic sovereignty
The increased attention to the Arctic is due to the growing geopolitical competition in the region, particularly due to the activity of Russia and China, as well as the opening of new sea routes due to climate change.
The Canadian government plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. The Arctic region occupies about 40% of the country's territory, but only about 150,000 people live there, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit people.
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