Plan includes first permanent Arctic base since Cold War in Iqaluit, two extra heavy icebreakers for the Navy and 2000 more Canadian Rangers.
Iqaluit, NU – Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre revealed today Part I of his Canada First plan to take back control of Canada’s North and counter the growing threats to Canadian sovereignty and security from adversaries like China and Russia. Poilievre said as Prime Minister, he would:
- Double the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers, from 2,000 to 4,000 Rangers.
- Acquire two additional polar icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy. Poilievre also committed to delivering the two polar icebreakers the Seaspan and Davie shipyards are now building for the Coast Guard by 2029, while the Liberals refuse to provide a timeline.
- Build at least one permanent Arctic military base within two years: CFB Iqaluit, Canada’s first permanent Arctic military base since the Cold War.
“The Canadian Arctic is under threat. After 9 years, the NDP-Liberals have weakened our military and lost the respect of our allies. Our safety, territory and trade with the U.S. requires we take back control of Canada’s North,” Poilievre said. “My Canada First plan will protect Canadians and give the brave men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, especially the mighty Canadian Rangers, the resources they need to defend our North so we can secure our skies, seas and soil.”
Hostile powers want our resources and shipping routes, and to be within striking distance of our continent. China has now declared itself a “near Arctic state,” even though its borders are approximately 1,500 kilometres from the Arctic Circle.
Russia also continues to build up its military presence in the North. Last year, the Department of National Defence noted that Russia now “possesses a robust Arctic naval presence with submarines, surface combatants and an icebreaker fleet much larger than those of other Arctic powers.” Russia has reopened Soviet military bases, expanded its Northern Fleet and developed new hypersonic missiles designed to evade NATO’s defences.
Under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Canada prepared for these threats. But since 2015, the Arctic has been ignored and our military has been abandoned. Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee has warned that the Royal Canadian Navy is in a “critical state” and Canada still doesn’t have a permanent military base in the Arctic.
Poilievre’s plan shows only Conservatives have a plan to take back control of Canada’s North. The Canadian Rangers provide self-sufficient mobile forces to support the military. Doubling the number of Rangers will ensure they can continue to report suspicious and unusual activities while providing local knowledge and expertise.
The two new Navy icebreakers will be on top of the current polar icebreakers the Seaspan and Davie shipyards are now building for the Coast Guard. Liberals won’t say when they will be delivered, but Poilievre has committed to delivering the Coast Guard icebreakers by 2029, in addition to the two new Navy icebreakers.
Importantly, Poilievre committed to building Canada’s first permanent base since the Cold War by establishing CFB Iqaluit, in consultation with military experts and Indigenous Peoples.
Iqaluit already has a Forward Operating Location and a functional airport and seaport that can accommodate the Royal Canadian Air Force. The base will be able to host a full RCAF wing to launch and land new F-35 fighter jets to deter, intercept, and destroy threats and land Poseidon P-8s aircraft to carry out search and rescue, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) work. The base will also fuel local economic development in Iqaluit with better runways, energy systems, transportation and infrastructure.
To pay for this plan, Poilievre said he would dramatically cut foreign aid, much of which goes to dictators, terrorists and global bureaucracies.
These three steps are only the beginning of Poilievre’s Canada First Plan for the North. They will come on top of the already-planned Defence Update and NORAD modernization plans that include, among other things, advanced air-to-air missiles, air-to-air refuelling aircraft, upgrades at the Forward Operating Locations in Inuvik, Yellowknife, Goose Bay and the new base in Iqaluit.
Other upgrades include Airborne Early Warning Aircraft, Northern Operational Support Hubs, new submarines to replace the Victoria-class fleet, tactical helicopters, and a new satellite ground station in the Arctic. Common Sense Conservatives will deliver these things faster than the current Liberal plan by eliminating red tape and delays.
If we are to be a sovereign and self-reliant nation, we must take back control of our north, secure all our borders and stand on our own two feet. Only Conservatives have a plan to put Canada First.