As Canada plans an ambitious expansion of defence and economic activity in the Arctic, regional experts are asking whether it has enough diplomats to build the ties it wants in the North.
asserted
it → plan → North
“The Arctic is a geopolitical hot spot,” said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.
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Obed → say → Kanatami
“The (Global Affairs) department does not have huge bench strength when it comes to Arctic diplomacy.”
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it → have → diplomacy
Here’s a look at how the Liberals have both cut back and restaffed positions across the North in recent years.
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Liberals → ’ → years
Closing an expert centre
In 2023, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau closed the Canadian International Arctic Centre, a hub for diplomacy across the region that had been operating within Canada’s embassy in Norway since 2009.
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that → close → 2009
In a briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press, Global Affairs Canada cited “high costs in Oslo” and anticipated savings of $550,000 per year.
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Canada → obtain → year
The department argued its Arctic team would work better out of Ottawa, particularly on shaping policies that aligned with the Biden administration.
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that → argue → administration
“The hybrid work model has demonstrated the department’s ability to engage worldwide through technology … diminishing the relative advantage of operational staff located in the field,” says the briefing note.
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note → demonstrate → field
Artur Wilczynski, who served as Canada’s ambassador to Oslo from 2014 to 2018, said CIAC helped him prepare for the posting by registering him in conferences and introducing him to “key” Arctic contacts.
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him → serve → contacts
Wilczynski called the decision to close CIAC “incoherent.”
“You need to develop a cohort of people who actually have a deep understanding and knowledge of a very complex and diverse region,” he said.
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he → call → region
“You do not get that from a Zoom call.”
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You → get → call
In December 2024, the Trudeau government released an Arctic foreign policy that committed to boosting domestic and international collaboration to face down emerging foreign threats.
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that → release → threats
The policy said the region was “no longer free from tension” because of increased geopolitical instability following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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region → say → Ukraine
Ottawa appointed Virginia Mearns as Arctic ambassador last year and promised new consulates in Greenland and Alaska.
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Ottawa → appoint → Greenland
The government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien created the role of Canadian ambassador for circumpolar affairs in 1994.
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government → create → 1994
The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper shelved the role in 2004.
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government → shelve → 2004
The policy’s release followed several incidents in the region, including a high-altitude balloon from China crossing into Canadian airspace in 2023.
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balloon → follow → 2023
Ottawa has since promised billions of dollars for defence and new infrastructure for northerners.
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Ottawa → promise → northerners
Wilczynski argues that buildup needs to be accompanied by a commensurate increase in the number of diplomats in order to build circumpolar contacts.
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buildup → argue → contacts
“I don’t think that there is a more immediate and proximate security, economic and political interest for Canada and Canadians than the Arctic,” said Wilczynski, who also worked as an executive in Canadian intelligence.
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who → think → intelligence
“Investing more in our diplomatic presence in the region is part of a strategy that recognizes the interests that Canada has in relationships with our Arctic partners.”
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Canada → invest → partners
In February, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand opened Canada’s first consulate in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
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Anand → open → capital
Due to the shortage of available buildings, the Canadian consulate operates out of the Icelandic consulate.
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consulate → operate → consulate
A briefing document obtained by The Canadian Press estimates the operating cost of the consulate at $8.76 million over five years — roughly $1.75 million annually.
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document → obtain → years
That includes staffing and the use of various services.
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That → include → services
The consulate originally was intended to employ three full-time equivalents.
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consulate → intend → equivalents
But the consulate has only one staffer and it’s not clear if that is due to budget cuts.
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that → have → cuts
“These figures were prepared for planning purposes … and may be temporarily higher than the actual costs incurred during implementation due to a number of factors, including employing fewer staff than originally planned,” Global Affairs Canada said in a media statement.
uncertain
Canada → prepare → statement
The department did not say when the consulate in Alaska will open or how many staffers it will have.
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it → say → staffers
‘Key contacts’ lost
Part of Canada’s goal in Arctic diplomacy is to give northerners a voice in international platforms so that federal policies reflect their concerns.
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policies → lose → concerns
Ottawa helps facilitate this through the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative, which connects Inuit and northern people with projects and conferences abroad and funds their travel.
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which → facilitate → travel
An internal Global Affairs audit reported in May 2025 that closing the Canadian International Arctic Centre deprived the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative of “key contacts in the Arctic.”
uncertain
closing → report → Arctic
“This led to a certain loss of expertise, outreach and support for the missions,” says the audit, adding that means fewer opportunities for “Indigenous and northern speakers.”
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that → lead → speakers
Obed said this shows the shortcomings in Ottawa’s approach to engagement with Inuit.
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this → say → Inuit
Obed said there is “untapped” potential in the region and Inuit can help Canada make new contacts around the North Pole.
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Canada → say → Pole
“These new times require greater administrative and political and policy footprints in order to do it right,” he said.
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he → require → it
Marc Lanteigne, a political scientist from Montreal, is a professor at the Arctic University of Norway in the northern city of Tromso and teaches at the University of Greenland.
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Lanteigne → teach → Greenland
He said Canada has made itself more visible in Nordic capitals in recent years by sending larger and more varied delegations to the annual Arctic Circle assembly in Iceland.
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itself → say → Iceland
Canadian foreign ministers have also met with their five Nordic counterparts in recent years.
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ministers → meet → years
“We have a lot to contribute, not only in our particular corner of the Arctic, but (across) the region as a whole,” Lanteigne said from Tromso, which sits on the same latitude as Yukon’s northern coast.
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which → have → coast
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
