The premier of the Northwest Territories says she and her Northern counterparts are monitoring the security situation in the Arctic closely despite no clear threat from Russia.
In response to questions from Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Lesa Semmler in the Legislative Assembly on Thursday, Premier Caroline Cochrane said she had met with her counterparts in Yukon and Nunavut to discuss security in Canada’s North.
“We all have concerns,” she said.
She said the three territorial leaders wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting a meeting to discuss Arctic security.
Semmler asked if residents should expect an increase in military presence in the Arctic now or in the near future.
“It’s just over the ocean for us; it’s just across the road, some might say,” she said.
Cochrane did not answer directly, but said, “Canada does acknowledge that the Arctic is becoming an international interest, and we’ve been having discussions on that, and those will continue. Right now in our discussions with Canada, there’s no clear threat — the threat is on Ukraine.
“I do want to reassure residents again that the GNWT and our sister territories are aware of what’s going on,” said Cochrane. “We’re watching closely, and we’re working closely with the federal government to make sure that we protect our Arctic.”