Pierre Poilievre unveils 'Canada First' plan for the Arctic, vows to cut foreign aid to 'dictators, terrorists' to pay for it

“The Canadian Arctic is under threat. After nine years, the NDP-Liberals have weakened our military and lost the respect of our allies. Our safety, territory, and trade with the US require that we take back control of Canada’s North,” Poilievre stated from Iqaluit, Nunavut on Monday. “My Canada First plan will protect Canadians and give the brave men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, especially the mighty Canadian Rangers, the resources they need to defend our North so we can secure our skies, seas, and soil.”

Poilievre’s plan outlines a series of military investments aimed at countering growing threats from adversaries such as China and Russia. Key measures include doubling the size of the 1st Patrol Group of the Canadian Rangers from 2,000 to 4,000 members, ensuring a stronger presence in remote northern regions, and acquiring two additional polar icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy, supplementing the two currently under construction for the Coast Guard at Seaspan and Davie shipyards.

Poilievre's plan also includes building a permanent Arctic military base at CFB Iqaluit, which will serve as a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) operations hub for F-35 fighter jets and Poseidon P-8 aircraft to conduct search and rescue missions, anti-submarine warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations.

The statement comes during heightened concerns over foreign military expansion in the region, with China having declared itself a “near Arctic state” despite being located 1,500 km away from the Arctic Circle. Russia has also shown that it is aggressively expanding its military presence with submarines, surface combatants, and a large icebreaker fleet.

Poilievre slammed the Liberals’ inaction during their time in power and pointed to former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s success in the Arctic.

To fund his Canada First plan, Poilievre said he would cut "wasteful foreign aid spending," saying that too much taxpayer money currently goes to “dictators, terrorists, and global bureaucracies.”

“If we are to be a sovereign and self-reliant nation, we must take back control of our North, secure all our borders, and stand on our own two feet,” Poilievre said. “Only Conservatives have a plan to put Canada First.”