Canada unveils updated defence policy, plan to spend $73B over 20 years on renewing military capacity
CTV
Canada's military will take a bigger role in the North over the next two decades as climate change and increasingly aggressive foes threaten Arctic sovereignty, says a new defence policy document released Monday.
Canada's military will take a bigger role in the North over the next two decades as climate change and increasingly aggressive foes threaten Arctic sovereignty, says a new defence policy document released Monday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was flanked by Defence Minister Bill Blair, Veterans Affairs Minister Ginette Petitpas-Taylor and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland as he announced the policy at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.
"Climate change is rapidly reshaping Canada and reshaping our North," Trudeau said.
The government is planning to buy new vehicles adapted to the frozen conditions in the North, along with building an Arctic satellite ground station and setting up northern operations hubs.
In addition to air and land, Canada needs to be prepared to defend itself under the ice, the document said.
Back in 2021, the Royal Canadian Navy launched a long-anticipated push to replace the country's four Victoria-class submarines, which will reach the end of their lifespan in the mid-2030s.
The updated defence policy calls for the purchase of conventionally powered submarines -- but the prime minister left the door open Monday to a nuclear-powered option.
