Ottawa Buys Strategic Inuvik Hangar as Defence Minister Highlights Arctic Defence Gaps

Ottawa has purchased a strategic airport hangar facility in the Northwest Territories amid growing geopolitical competition in the Arctic. Defence Minister Bill Blair has warned of Canada’s insufficient presence in the area in light of increasing interest from China and Russia. In January, the government paid $8.6 million to acquire a leasehold interest and related equipment for the hangar located at Inuvik Airport, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) confirmed in a July 9 email statement. The move comes as Canada and its allies increasingly focus on Arctic security amid growing strategic interest from Russia and China in the region. “What we are seeing among adversaries, Russia and China in particular, is a far more assertive approach into what we have always considered our Arctic,” Mr. Blair said during the Foreign Policy Security Forum in Washington, D.C., on July 8. He noted these concerns are shared by other Arctic allies, including the United States, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland....