Canada PM Carney announces deal with Australia to boost Arctic radar

A Canadian sailor peers implicit a ridge arsenic a squad from the Canadian Navy trial thermal imaging drone capabilities successful Arctic environments, during Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces' yearly Arctic grooming and sovereignty operation, successful Inuvik, Northwest Territories successful February 2025. Photo: Cole Burston/ / AFP
Source: AFP

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Tuesday a Can$6 cardinal (US$4.2 billion) woody with Australia to make an Arctic radar system, informing that Canada indispensable instrumentality much work for its defence arsenic US priorities shift.

Carney made the announcement successful Iqaluit, superior of the Nunavut territory successful the Canadian Arctic, connected the last limb of his archetypal authoritative travel arsenic premier curate since taking implicit from Justin Trudeau past week.

Carney -- who has antecedently described the United States nether President Donald Trump arsenic a state Canada "can nary longer trust" -- characterized the radar woody arsenic portion of a broader effort to asseverate Canadian sovereignty implicit the Arctic.

"The satellite is changing," Carney said successful Iqaluit, wherever helium made a home halt aft visits to Paris and London.

"International institutions and norms that person kept Canada unafraid are present being called into question. And the United States's priorities, our ally, erstwhile intimately aligned with our own, are opening to shift," helium said.

"We cannot and should not look archetypal to others to support our nation."

Australia is simply a person successful "over-the-horizon" radar, an precocious strategy that allows for continuous threat-tracking implicit a immense area.

A Canadian subject chinook chopper completes a proviso driblet to Canadian Rangers connected Parsons Lake during Operation Nanook, the Canadian Armed Forces' yearly Arctic grooming and sovereignty operation, adjacent Inuvik, Northwest Territories connected March 1. Photo: Cole Burston/ / AFP
Source: AFP

"The radar system's long-range surveillance and menace tracking capabilities volition observe and deter threats crossed the North," Carney's bureau said successful a connection announcing the deal.

The caller web volition regenerate an ageing Cold War-era North Warning System, which relies connected radar stations from Alaska to bluish Quebec that are incapable of responding to modern rocket threats.

Ottawa volition besides put an further Can$420 cardinal to boost Canada's year-round subject beingness successful the acold north.

"Securing Canada is an implicit strategical precedence of this government," Carney said. "We volition request to bash more."

Funding for enhanced Arctic radar was announced nether Trudeau, but the determination to spouse with Australia was unveiled Tuesday.

Canada made Arctic information a precedence earlier Trump returned to office, amid interest astir imaginable Russian aggression arsenic melting crystal caused by clime alteration progressively opens the portion for assets extraction.

But Trump's repeated questioning of Canadian sovereignty has sparked renewed absorption connected nationalist defence successful Canada, which erstwhile viewed its information ties with Washington arsenic iron-clad.

Canada's Defence Minister Bill Blair earlier this period announced plans for 3 caller Arctic subject hubs with airstrips and instrumentality depots.

New Canadian premier ministers typically marque calling the American president a archetypal precedence aft taking office, but with the countries presently warring a commercialized warfare initiated by Trump's tariffs it remains unclear erstwhile Carney and Trump volition speak.

Carney said Tuesday helium would person a "comprehensive" treatment with Trump astir commercialized "at the due time."

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Source: AFP