LOCATION: OTTAWA
Issue/Source: TRAN APPEARANCE ON THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR ON CANADA'S TRANSPORTATION SECTOR
Date: MARCH 21, 2022
Suggested Responses
- Canada's Arctic sovereignty is longstanding and well established. Canada will continue to exercise the full extent of its rights and sovereignty over its territory and its Arctic waters.
- Canada’s approach to northern domestic and international policy is guided by our Arctic and Northern Policy Framework which promotes strong, self-reliant people and communities, and a prosperous and sustainable Arctic while reinforcing Canada’s Arctic sovereignty.
- Canada’s interest is to maintain the long-standing peace and stability in the region, and to deter assertive positioning where possible. Canada will continue to enhance interoperability and information-sharing with key allies and partners to ensure the continued stability of the Arctic region.
IF PRESSED
- As the Arctic makes up a large portion of the air and maritime approaches to North America, Canada will continue to work in close partnership with the United States to ensure that we remain secure in North America by being positioned to deter and defend against threats to the continent, including from our Northern approaches through the bi-national North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
- Nearly 40 percent of Canada’s landmass is considered Arctic and Northern, including about 170,000 km of coastline, and home to less than one percent of Canada’s population – approximately 150,000 individuals, of which more than half are Indigenous.
- Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF) positions Canada to shape international responses to new challenges and opportunities to empower northern communities while protecting the fragile Arctic environment, and maintaining the Arctic as an area of peace and stability. The ANPF lays out the activities that the Government of Canada pursues as part of its commitment to a safe, secure, and well-defended Arctic, and as a continued expression of Canada’s enduring sovereignty over our Arctic lands and waters.
- Federal partners, including the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Canada Border Services Agency work together to monitor activity in the Arctic, including through Marine Security Operations Centres and the Canadian Air Defence Identification Zone, to cover the entirety of Canada’s Arctic Archipelago and its approaches. Canada is bolstering our capabilities to support continental defence in partnership with the United States, including through the NORAD renewal.
- Transport Canada (TC) continues to work closely with its partners to further enhance Arctic safety, security and domain awareness to further support our sovereignty. Canada’s layered surveillance includes support from TC’s National Aerial Surveillance Program, maritime and aviation tracking and reporting, and on-going participation and collaboration in live exercises with northern partners – both domestic and international.