National Defence committee  There is no single framework that we can talk about. I think that's going to be on a case-by-case basis, whether it's governance or economic development. Russia does not want China further ingrained in Arctic governance. It has never wanted that, and it's going to continue to pus

National Defence committee  Absolutely, and it is a different way of framing the issue. To begin, Russia's vulnerability stems primarily from what it has in the Arctic. Unlike North America, Russia's economy is very closely tied to assets that are located in the Arctic. This goes back generations, and it's

National Defence committee  What is unique about the Arctic and offshore patrol vessels is that they are not warships per se. They're not frontline combatants. They were designed from the very beginning to be very versatile ships with an understanding that, in the Arctic, the navy is not going to be the lea

National Defence committee  To begin with, what I have advocated is not necessarily an increase in military capability in the Canadian Arctic in order to create this threat for Russia. I have suggested that in future policy statements, in the way we comport ourselves, in the way politicians speak and in the

National Defence committee  Absolutely. As I mentioned very briefly, there are very serious threats to the Arctic. We just need to be clear-eyed about what they are. We're not talking about submarines and paratroopers per se. What we're most likely going to look at over the next 10, 20 or 30 years in terms

National Defence committee  Yes. Canada does face serious threats in the Arctic, predominantly non-conventional threats. What we're talking about is illegal fishing, pollution prevention, trespassing. Some of those may be non-state actors, and some of them may be state actors. Chinese scientific research, f

National Defence committee  Yes, I'm happy to.

National Defence committee  I apologize. There's a bit of echo here. Could you repeat the very last part of that question?

National Defence committee  What I have long argued is that we need to look at Arctic defence in a much more nuanced way. I think it's a bit of a misunderstanding to say that David Perry and I have a very different opinion on this. In fact, Arctic security and defence are very important, and we need to make

National Defence committee  I hope so. That is a problem that has certainly been identified. The more isolated Russia becomes from the west politically and financially, the further it is pushed into Chinese arms, and we risk a scenario in which Russia, if it becomes weak enough, actually becomes something o

National Defence committee  Yes, absolutely. Russia has considered itself to be at risk in the north since the 1960s. This is nothing particularly new. At first blush, it would make very little sense, I think, to most westerners. The notion that there may be a NATO attack on Russia in the Arctic or elsewhe

National Defence committee  The Russian-Chinese relationship in the Arctic, and very generally, is extremely complex. The short answer is no, Russia does not see China as a threat—or at least publicly it does not see China as a threat. Predating Ukraine, and even more so following the invasion of Ukraine

National Defence committee  Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be here to take part in these important discussions. My research and expertise lie in the field of Arctic defence and policy, and it's in that area that I'd like to offer some comments. However, I can answer questions on a broader array o