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Experts question whether Canada has enough Arctic diplomats to match its defence and economic expansion, after closing its International Arctic Centre in 2023 and staffing its new Greenland consulate with a single employee
Canada is planning an ambitious expansion of defence and economic activity in the Arctic, but regional experts are asking whether the country has enough diplomats to build the ties it wants in the North.
Arctic Diplomacy Expert Questions Canada Resources
The Arctic is a geopolitical hot spot, said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. He said Global Affairs does not have huge bench strength when it comes to Arctic diplomacy. An internal Global Affairs audit reported in May 2025 found that closing the Canadian International Arctic Centre deprived the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative of key contacts in the Arctic.
That led to a certain loss of expertise, outreach and support for the missions, the audit says, meaning fewer opportunities for Indigenous and northern speakers. 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. A briefing note obtained by The Canadian Press cited high costs in Oslo and anticipated savings of $550,000 per year.
The department argued its Arctic team would work better out of Ottawa, particularly on shaping policies that aligned with the Biden administration. The briefing note said 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.
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. He called the decision to close CIAC incoherent. Wilczynski said you need to develop a cohort of people who actually have a deep understanding and knowledge of a very complex and diverse region. You do not get that from a Zoom call, he said.
New Arctic Policy Promises Increased Collaboration
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. The policy said the region was no longer free from tension because of increased geopolitical instability following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ottawa appointed Virginia Mearns as Arctic ambassador last year and promised new consulates in Greenland and Alaska.
The government of Prime Minister Jean Chretien created the role of Canadian ambassador for circumpolar affairs in 1994. The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper shelved the role in 2004. The policy's release followed several incidents in the region, including a high-altitude balloon from China crossing into Canadian airspace in 2023. Ottawa has since promised billions of dollars for defence and new infrastructure for northerners.
Wilczynski argues that buildup needs to be accompanied by a commensurate increase in the number of diplomats in order to build circumpolar contacts. He said there is no more immediate and proximate security, economic and political interest for Canada and Canadians than the Arctic.
Consulate Shortages Highlight Resource Gaps
Wilczynski, who also worked as an executive in Canadian intelligence, said investing more in Canada's diplomatic presence in the region is part of a strategy that recognizes the interests Canada has in relationships with its Arctic partners. In February, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand opened Canada's first consulate in Greenland's capital, Nuuk. Due to the shortage of available buildings, the Canadian consulate operates out of the Icelandic 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. That includes staffing and the use of various services. The consulate originally was intended to employ three full-time equivalents, but it has only one staffer. It is not clear if that is due to budget cuts.
Global Affairs Canada said in a media statement that the 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. The department did not say when the consulate in Alaska will open or how many staffers it will have.
Leadership Initiative Supports Northern Voices
Part of Canada's goal in Arctic diplomacy is to give northerners a voice in international platforms so that federal policies reflect their 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. Obed said the audit shows the shortcomings in Ottawa's approach to engagement with Inuit.
He said there is untapped potential in the region and Inuit can help Canada make new contacts around the North Pole. These new times require greater administrative and political and policy footprints in order to do it right, he said. 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.
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. Canadian foreign ministers have also met with their five Nordic counterparts in recent years. Lanteigne said Canada has a lot to contribute, not only in its particular corner of the Arctic, but across the region as a whole.
Speaking from Tromso, which sits on the same latitude as Yukon's northern coast, he said everyone there is talking about the green transition and how to balance that with the ongoing need for fossil fuels.
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CP24:This story was compiled and edited by the HeadTopics newsroom and HT AI from the reports above.
Arctic Policy Global Affairs Canada Diplomacy Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Canadian Foreign Policy Arctic Diplomacy Canadian International Arctic Centre Greenland Consulate
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