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PM Carney announces ambitious new plan to defend, build, and transform the North

March 12, 2026
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Canada’s North is going through a period of profound change. The world is becoming more dangerous and divided. The assumptions that shaped decades of Canadian defence and security are being upended. Climate change is causing our Arctic region to warm nearly three times faster than the global average, a shift that great powers are actively looking to exploit.

For decades, previous Canadian governments have taken measures to build and secure the North. But these lacked the scale and the breadth of strategy that this vast region demands. Canada’s new government has the ambition and capacity to do this, and Prime Minister Carney is acting with our Territorial and Indigenous partners to seize the opportunity. We are moving forward with a comprehensive plan backed by over $40 billion, including more than $35 billion in federal investments to defend, build, and transform Canada’s Northern and Arctic region, and major projects that represent around $10 billion in investment.

Canada is moving from reliance to resilience. We will no longer depend on any one nation, and instead build a stronger, more independent country. With this new plan, Canada is taking full responsibility for defending our Arctic sovereignty. We will boldly develop the critical minerals, clean energy, and trade corridors – the full economic potential – of the region. At the centre of this plan are the 140,000 Northerners and Indigenous Peoples who will have stronger, more sustainable, more connected communities, greater opportunities, and a lower cost of living.

To these ends, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, today announced the following new measures, backed by generational investments.

To defend fully Canada’s Arctic and North, deter new threats, and support NATO Allies and NORAD continental defence, Canada’s new government is:

  • Investing $32 billion at Forward Operating Locations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Iqaluit, and at Deployed Operating Base 5 Wing Goose Bay.
    • This will also build both military power and economic strength. It will enable the Canadian Armed Forces to defend the Arctic without the help of Allies, allowing Canada to take control of our Arctic security. This includes infrastructure upgrades such as airfield upgrades; new or repurposed hangars; ammunition and fuel facilities; and buildings and equipment for accommodations, warehousing, IT, and general support.
  • Announcing two new Northern Operational Support Hubs (NOSHs) at Whitehorse and Resolute, and two new Northern Operational Support Nodes (NOSNs) at Cambridge Bay and Rankin Inlet, backed by an investment of $2.67 billion.
    • This network will enable the Canadian Armed Forces to deploy rapidly and support year-round response across the Arctic and North, no matter how remote.
  • Investing $294 million in Arctic airports, including building a runway overlay and modernising Rankin Inlet Airport and upgrading Inuvik Airport.
    • This will ensure larger aircraft can land, connecting Northern communities to the rest of the country year-round to enable faster, more convenient, and lower-cost travel for both the military and civilians.

To connect, build, and transform Canada’s Arctic and Northern region, Canada’s new government is referring the following projects to the Major Projects Office:

  • The Mackenzie Valley Highway
    • This 800 km-long highway will become a vital artery for the region, providing essential year-round access to Indigenous and remote communities in the Mackenzie Valley, building on an initial federal investment of over $100 million.
    • This road will connect Yellowknife to Inuvik, and open up commercial opportunities along the route.
  • The Grays Bay Road and Port and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor
    • These projects will connect Nunavut to the national highway system via the Northwest Territories and become Canada’s first overland connection to a deepwater port on the Arctic Ocean.
    • Together, these projects will connect strategic mineral deposits to national road networks and tidewater – linking Canada’s North to new global markets and ensuring reliable access to Canadian minerals.
    • The Grays Bay Road and Port is a proposed all-season road of approximately 230 km from the Nunavut border to a deepwater port and airfield at Grays Bay, on the strategic Arctic Ocean. The project includes a deepwater export terminal for minerals and an airstrip, which will both have dual-use civilian and military potential.
    • The Arctic Economic and Security Corridor project is a proposed all-season road of approximately 400 km through the Slave Geological Province to the Nunavut border, where it will connect with the Grays Bay Road.
    • Collectively, these projects will build the infrastructure required to advance potential copper, gold, and zinc mining projects, and support increased mining exploration activity.
  • Taltson Hydro Expansion Project
    • This will add 60 megawatts to the existing hydro system, doubling the Northwest Territories’ hydro capacity and serving 70% of residents.

From day one, Canada’s new government has embarked on a mission to defend and build Canada’s North. During his first week in office, Prime Minister Carney announced a new plan to establish a stronger presence in the Arctic through BOREALIS, advancing cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and other frontier technologies, while getting more boots on the ground. Today, the Canadian Armed Forces maintain a permanent presence in the Arctic and the North, including through Operation NANOOK. The government is already accelerating major projects such as the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project and the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor, and we have made significant investments to build local infrastructure and empower Northerners and Northern Indigenous communities with better housing, education, and access to health care.

Canada cannot rely on another country for our security and prosperity. By working in partnership with Territories and Indigenous partners to build out the full potential of a united, connected Northern region, we can give ourselves more than any one nation can take away. With this ambitious new plan, Canada is taking control of its future and building a stronger, more independent country.

Mark Carney
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