Again, these are very good questions.
In terms of engagement, as I said earlier, it is proceeding modestly. We're not leaping ahead, pushing forward by leaps and bounds. The plan is to continue to go forward in the spirit of the analysis that has guided our approach to Russia ever since the developments of the spring of 2014, in effect, a two-track approach. They are closely interrelated, namely dialogue and deterrence. You asked about that, and indeed that is the agreed approach of the NATO alliance. We're all committed to the importance and utility of both dialogue and deterrence.
On the deterrence side we're clear on the rollout of the Canadian deployment in the context of our role as a framework nation in Latvia; hence, our enhanced forward presence. That's going to happen in the spring.
On the dialogue side, the hope and expectation is that by engaging we directly underscore our messages of concern to senior Russian officials. We also continue, as we can, to engage with Russian civil society, which is very much under pressure to keep the flame of hope alive, particularly among the youth in Russia.
In terms of our direct engagement with Russia at the officials level, we're seeking to identify, and indeed are in the process of identifying, ways that we can work together in Canada's interest, particularly in the Arctic, which is obviously front and centre. In fact, one bureaucratic development that's helpful in that regard, I would suggest—not to get into Global Affairs weeds—is that my colleague, who I mentioned earlier would be here speaking to you were she not travelling on Arctic Council business, is now Canada's senior Arctic official in the Arctic Council and also my counterpart with responsibility for bilateral relations with Russia. Here I speak of Ms. Alison LeClaire. She was in Moscow for bilateral talks late last week, which immediately followed her participation in an event on Arctic co-operation in Murmansk, Russia. So again, it's an opportunity to identify where we can work together. I say this because it's very much in Canada's interests, given the importance of the Arctic to us nationally and the importance of the Arctic globally. Whether we're talking about the development of northern peoples or combatting climate change, the Arctic is hugely important, and whether we like it or not, Russia is a hugely important player in the Arctic.
That is the clearest and most obvious way in which our re-engagement with Russia serves our interests, but we're also speaking directly to them on issues like counterterrorism and how we can possibly work together constructively on that. I mentioned earlier that we had senior level talks about the situation in the Middle East and Syria. These are the ways in which we hope our re-engagement will help us to move forward and serve Canada's interests, but I would never for a moment suggest that it will single-handedly help us encourage Russia to turn a corner and adopt new approaches going forward.
As I was saying with respect to Ukraine, it is a very long-term challenge, and we have to commit for the long haul.