US EditionCarney announces $35B for defence investment in Canada's North
The $32 billion investment will expand military airfields, build operational hubs, and upgrade infrastructure to enhance Canada’s Arctic defense and reduce reliance on the U.S.
- On March 12, 2026 Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a C$35 billion plan in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, to boost Arctic defences and reduce reliance on the United States.
- Prompted by strained ties with the United States, Carney said last year that U.S. and other major nations are eroding the rules-based order, increasing Arctic defense urgency.
- Funding details show the plan allocates C$32 billion to expand military airfields and build four operational support hubs, upgrade two commercial airports, and fast-track two proposed roads; Canada currently has four rudimentary Arctic airfields housing six fighters each and around 2,000 soldiers.
- Carney will fly to northern Norway to observe biennial NATO drills, and the announcement builds on the 2022 C$38.6 billion modernization plan and NORAD cooperation.
- Carney warned climate change warms Canada's Arctic nearly three times faster, and the 4.4 million square km region's rare minerals face development hurdles due to limited infrastructure.
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70 Articles
Ottawa Announces $35 Billion to Boost Defence, Infrastructure in Canada’s North
The federal government is allocating nearly $35 billion to boost military presence in Canada’s northern region and to improve infrastructure. Around $32 billion of the funding will be used in military forward operating locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, Iqaluit, and Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing in Goose Bay, N.L. “With this plan, we are taking control of our future,” Carney said in Yellowknife on March 12. “We will no longer rely on others to d…
TVA Nouvelles
24heures.caThe Carney government is making double cuts to defend the sovereignty of Canada's Great North and to increase its economic strength.
Associated Press News
Carney announces billions for defense and infrastructure in Canada's North
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he will spend billions on forward operating locations in the North to assert sovereignty over the increasingly contested region.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday that the government is investing an additional $32 billion in the advanced military operational bases in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit, as well as in the 5 Wing Operational Base deployed in Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.
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