Carney announces billions for defense and infrastructure in Canada's North

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YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday his government will spend billions on forward operating locations and infrastructure in the North to assert sovereignty over the increasingly contested region.

Carney announced he is putting an additional $32 billion Canadian (US$24 billion) into military forward operating locations Yellowknife, Inuvik, Iqaluit and Goose Bay.

“In this new era, we cannot rely on other nations for our security and prosperity,” Carney said.

The additional funds comes as U.S. President Donald Trump called earlier this year for the U.S. to take control of Greenland, the Inuit self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark. Trump has also talked about making Canada the 51st state.

The prime minister made the announcement in Yellowknife, the capital city of Canada’s Northwest Territories, before he takes off for his planned visit to Norway where he will observe a NATO exercise.

The announcement includes $2.7 billion Canadian (US$1.9 billion) for four new remote operating hubs across the North to assist with rapid deployment.

Carney is also announcing funds to support a variety of road and port projects in the North.

This includes money for the Mackenzie Valley Highway, which will connect Yellowknife and Inuvik.

Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put the Arctic at the heart of the debate over global trade and security.