How secure is Canada's Arctic? | The Big Story

Recently the department of defence announced a plan to pour billions of dollars into Northern security. And there's no doubt that in a changing world the Arctic region has become more important, for Canada and our allies, as well as for our adversaries.

But what does 'security' or sovereignty even mean when we're discussing a huge swath of land, sparsely populated and lacking the infrastructure to change that? What does the DoD plan to use that money for, exactly? And how will it work with the Indigenous people who live in the region?

GUEST: Andrea Charron, professor and the Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba.

[philipbrooks]

This is a very poor overview and clearly an “academic” consideration of a very physical problem. The idea that we are not subject to incursion or erosion of our arctic claims is not grounded in fact. Neither is there recognition that the population north of the Arctic Circle is largely Russian military. There have been more bases built opposite our border by our enemy than we have in our entire nation. I flew in the RCAF for 12 1/2 years including significant time in the arctic. It is undefended. At least by us. We have no military anymore Canada has been disarmed by deluded ideologically driven, factually impoverished national leadership for far too long. No defence voice in our government. The CDS is hostage to the PMO.

[warrensteel]

We need massive investment in our rail infrastructure to grow as a country. Canada is keeping people crammed into the southern most parts of the country, fighting over million-dollar homes. We need inexpensive rail transit northward to open up lower cost of living opportunities for the population.

[jasontwofour]

As it is now, Russia could just take any arctic island and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

[atreidesonthethames]

More billions down the drain, most of it probably for the American MIC. Along with those underperforming and extremely expensive F35's they're sending us we'll have a national budget that looks as dysfunctional as theirs in no time!

[steveswhirld]

vote ''practical''

[Talksin]

the Polar bears are holding down the fort cause they know we can't

[jordanturner]

How secure are Canada's neighborhoods

[KMCA]

How much more are people willing to pay in taxes in order to "secure" the Northern border. just the military securing that space even with a dozen fully formed bases would easily be avoidable. any patrols would be space to non-existant.
What she's talking about would require MILLIONS of people willing to live and work in the arctic and billions if not a trillions of dollars just to get the infrastructure in place, forget the premiums to get people to live there.
McMurdo in the Antarctic is the closest equivilent and if you look into that it's not easy or cheap

[chrisministerofsmartarsery]

It's not. Canada barely has a military. Our only defense up there are the Americans in Alaska.

[Parzival-xi]

Look at a graph of rural temperatures within the last hundred years and a graph of solar activity from the sun for the same time period, they are identical. The sun dictates our climate, not man made conditions.

[CatalystNetwork]

We don’t really have a defence budget. We only have 40 million people.

Our subs don’t have any advanced radars or sonars. We are like 30 years behind in that.

And like. Less than half of Canadians pay taxes…

California has more people than all of Canada. So. Yeah. We can’t afford to do it.

But. USA has it covered. Don’t worry about it.

Thanks Alaska.

[mikebrodhurst]

These liberals need to go my god … painful conversation