Canada鈥檚 快盈v3 premiers are pitching the federal government to dip into its defence budget as a way to bolster Arctic infrastructure and help meet the NATO spending target in the process.

The calls come after Canada released its new Arctic foreign policy earlier this month, which committed to promoting investment in a wide range of sectors 鈥� including critical mineral development, transportation and energy 鈥� but didn鈥檛 specifically make funding commitments in those areas.

The policy, Ottawa says, complements the updated defence policy released last April, which focused heavily on the Arctic, promising $218 million over 20 years to build and operate 鈥渟upport hubs鈥� across the North.

Those hubs will come with infrastructure upgrades for communities that include improved communications, water and power facilities.

While the locations of the hubs have yet to be determined 鈥� save perhaps for Inuvik, where the Defence Department is upgrading the local airport as part of its Norad modernization 鈥� the 快盈v3 premiers argue there are other areas where infrastructure investment can be tied to defence spending.

鈥淚鈥檝e talked many times to the federal government about infrastructure and the possibility of including that as defence spending,鈥� said NWT Premier R.J. Simpson in an interview.

Among the more ambitious pitches he鈥檚 made is to build road infrastructure to help mine and move the territory鈥檚 critical minerals.

The territory is home to one of the world鈥檚 largest tungsten deposits outside of China. Its high melting point, density and strength make tungsten a key component in armour-piercing ammunition, armour plating and aviation components.

It would also help bolster the economy of the Northwest Territories, where mining and oil and gas extraction represented almost one-fifth of the GDP in 2023.

鈥淚n the territory, we have an abundance of critical minerals. And ensuring that we have the infrastructure to access those is important,鈥� Simpson said.

鈥淎 lot of those critical minerals are used for defence purposes.鈥�

Simpson said he hasn鈥檛 heard an official response one way or the other, but did note NATO has specific criteria for what counts as defence spending.

All 32 NATO allies have agreed to spend the equivalent of at least two per cent of their GDP on defence each year. Canada鈥檚 spending is projected at 1.37 per cent this year, and it does not plan to meet the target until at least 2032.

Deep-sea ports

Anessa Kimball, a professor at Universite Laval who has written about NATO鈥檚 spending targets, said Canada could likely make the case that critical minerals and infrastructure are part of its defence spending.

鈥淲hen it comes to protecting supply chains and ensuring access to critical minerals, those would all be highly consistent with the types of things NATO now thinks fall underneath this broadened umbrella of what is defence and security,鈥� she said.

Kimball said one of the challenges for Canada is that in order for fixed-asset infrastructure to qualify, it must be clear what percentage of that infrastructure could be contributed to NATO missions or operations. That is harder in Canada than it is in Europe, where countries can easily access each other鈥檚 facilities.

For Nunavut, part of its ambition is deep-sea port facilities. These would bolster the territory鈥檚 fishery economy and help with the off-loading of goods and materials in summer seasons. It could also provide a naval presence along the Northwest Passage.

鈥淚t would really provide an opportunity for, whether it鈥檚 search and rescue, whether there鈥檚 a fuel spill in the Arctic 鈥� which we know is a concern,鈥� said Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok.

He, like Simpson, has also pushed for Ottawa to fund critical mineral supply roads for his territory.

Canada does have plans for a naval facility at Nanisivik, which will serve as a refuelling station for Canadian government vessels in the Arctic, though it is a trimmed-down version of what was originally conceived.

In 2022, Canada鈥檚 auditor general raised feasibility concerns with the facility, saying it provided little value. The project, which the federal government is already into for more than $100 million, is also behind schedule.

The notion of nation-building as part of sovereignty isn鈥檛 lost on Canada鈥檚 defence minister.

鈥淲hen I first went to the North as Canada鈥檚 defence minister, I was thinking about the work that we had to do there to strengthen our defence capabilities,鈥� Bill Blair said.

鈥淏ut it was 快盈v3ers who told me 鈥業f you want to assert our sovereignty, it鈥檚 much more than a military plane flying overhead.鈥� What I heard was the same: invest in infrastructure. Invest in important things.鈥�

During the Arctic foreign policy announcement, Blair said the changing Arctic environment has opened up threats and vulnerabilities as well as opportunities.

Those are words Akeeagok said mattered, and ones Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said 快盈v3ers need to keep hearing.

鈥淲e have to be in a position as a country to be ambitious enough to build nation-building projects. It may come across as sort of the word or flavour of the day, but we know what it means to build a Trans-Canada (highway), we know what it means to connect with rail,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e know these bigger projects in our country, how they鈥檝e transformed the world that we鈥檙e in. And in the North, we need that ambition still.鈥�

鈥擝y Nick Murray, The Canadian Press