Submission to the Senate Committee on National Security, Defence and Veteran Affairs. Clarence Wood, Mayor of Inuvik. Thank you for the opportunity to offer my comments. As you are no doubt aware international concerns about Arctic security have increased as new shipping routes open in Canada’s Arctic due to melting sea ice, and have intensified further since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Recently the Head of NATO has underlined the Arctic strategic value in facing Russia during his recent visit to Canada’s north.

In order for Canada to have a strong stake around the world and within NATO investments in Canada’s military presence in Northern Canada must be made. We are the first line of defence against Russian aggression. Canadian policy regarding the Arctic is strangely inconsistent, however. With our NATO allies we say we are strongly committed to the defence of Europe and deterrence of Russia, including in the Arctic. Yet as Canada’s official position is that the Canadian Arctic is a zone of peace and cooperation. This is a desirable outcome.

To increase the chances of realizing it we must strengthen our ability to understand what is happening in our Arctic and bolster our defences there in a better effort to deter Russia. In doing so we would be taking the same prudent approach in the Canadian Arctic that we employ in Europe and the North Atlantic with NATO of increasing our defensive posture and deterring aggression.

As our Chief of Defence Staff General Vance has stated it is difficult to conceive of strategic threats to Europe which would not also manifest themselves in North America and at present those are most likely to emulate from the Russian North. For this reason it is well past the time for Canada to treat the entire Arctic as an integrated strategic region and adopt a consistent defence approach Recently Russian has significantly upgraded its air and naval forces and continues to do so., Much of this activity, including that related to Russian strategic forces has been concentrated in the Russian North.

The Russians have demonstrated the effectiveness of the new equipment as well as a willingness to use it to advance their own interests in the Arctic. Canada must improve its ability to operate in the Arctic. While Canada has a number of military assets that it can deploy to our Arctic, they are based in Southern Canada. The transit time to the Arctic is lengthy and the infrastructure in our North is limited. Advances in Russian military technology means that Canada needs to improve its ability to q1uickly move its forces into the Arctic and project them further North than we have previously.

This all requires significant improvements in Canada’s logistical footprint in Canada’s North. Inuvik presently is in an ideal situation for a Canadian Forces base. We are home to Canada’s largest Satellite receiving Station, one government and one private. We are also home to a NORAD base and a Forward Operating Location. We have the only paved runway north of the Arctic Circle which is presently being lengthened. Inuvik is also situated on trillions of cubic feet of petroleum resources. We also have a road connecting us to the Arctic Coast and Southern Canada.

The response time from an Inuvik base could be instantaneous if a base was located here. The time is well past when Canada should indeed be serious about Arctic Sovereignty and Defence. If we don’t start now we run the great risk of succumbing to aggression from foreign entities. Thank you Clarence Wood Mayor of Inuvik