Q&A: Canada’s top soldier promises Inuit feedback won’t be ignored as military presence in Arctic grows

Canada’s top soldier visited Iqaluit this week to speak with the community on the military's plans to expand its presence in the Arctic, what Nunavummiut can expect, and how Inuit will be partners in the effort.

Chief of Defence Staff General Jennie Carignan said that the military's growing presence could lead to economic and infrastructure opportunities for the territory and promised the military would listen to local feedback.

Carignan spoke with the CBC’s Toby Otak.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What brings you to Iqaluit? 

We have very ambitious defence and security plans for the Arctic, and of course it's important that we engage and consult with the various communities who are absolutely key to our defence agenda. 

What kind of plans do you have to keep the Canadian Arctic a sovereign, safe place for Canada as a whole?

First and foremost is working with all of the communities in the Arctic and in the North. We already have Canadian Rangers deployed in over 200 communities and, again, working collaboratively with the communities is an absolute key piece to making sure that we build a defence based on resilient communities.

We also have what we called Operation Nanook, which is a persistent operation. We have permanent infrastructures as well where members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deployed to ensure that they have a permanent presence.

Iqaluit is set to host the Military Support Hub. Tell us where that project stands and what will Iqaluimmiut see when it's finished?

Northern Operational Support Hub is basically part of what we call a forward operation location where we will be able to project military forces in Iqaluit to execute various types of sovereignty operations. So we need to think about hangar spaces for fighter jets. We also need to think about stockpiling ammunition or various equipment necessary for the Canadian Rangers to do their work. So all the necessary equipment to be able to conduct various operations, whether it's air, maritime or land. 

We also need to think about search and rescue, which is another important part of what the Rangers do with the military. We are of course working together with the community here in Iqaluit to determine the requirements. 

There's going to be infrastructure projects of course. And we want to make sure that the community is well informed to the opportunities, and develop the workforce to be able to participate. So this is all currently in planning and the construction will start over the course of the next few years.

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When it comes to local jobs and the economy, what benefits can Nunavut expect from a renewed commitment to Arctic sovereignty? 

A lot of investments are coming in terms of defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, various military capabilities that we need in some areas. So what we can expect is a lot of opportunities for companies in the region and a lot of opportunities for a workforce with various skills, for infrastructure, for various defence roles.

We have to determine the military function and then ask, what do we need to install there to support this military function? What kind of public service, power, water, electricity type or digital support? So there will be a lot of opportunities to partner in all of those areas.

As the Canadian Armed Forces develops a bigger presence here, what can Inuit expect in terms of the relationship?

I think we will be investing a lot in those relationships. We absolutely need this partnership to do defence properly and we can only achieve that with the partners that we have in the various communities. And we have been very grateful for the welcoming and for the support that we have felt in many communities in the Arctic and in Nunavut. 

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Article 35 of the Constitution obligates the government to consult with Inuit when its activities affect our communities. What consultations have you been doing or are planned in respect to operations and projects in the North?

We have been conducting extensive consultations over the past year-plus, especially with the emphasis put on the Arctic. And so for example, today I'm going to have the opportunity to meet with the premier as well as with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. and the deputy mayor of Iqaluit. So we take every opportunity but we also have a team that is mandated to conduct those engagements as well to make sure that it is very transparent that communities can understand what it is that we are planning, and then either prepare or maybe offer other ways of doing things better as well. 

We have a lot to learn as well from the communities who have been living there for a long time. 

As the commander, how will you ensure when the military is operating in our communities, our values and needs aren't shoved aside if they conflict with the needs of the military? 

We have our headquarters for Joint Task Force North located out of Yellowknife.

That is our area from which all the coordination happens. So they have a liaison team deployed here in Iqaluit to make sure that we are coherent in our approach as we plan for various operations or exercises. Communities are immediately involved into that approach.

We are mindful of people's habits and ensuring that we are actually not encroaching on their activities.

There are also plans for northern operating hubs and nodes in other Nunavut communities. Can you update us on those plans? 

Some of them are more advanced than the others. We have nodes that have a smaller footprint in the community, depending on their role. This is all being determined and not everything is decided because of course we actually want to consult before any decisions are being made. 

So we are taking this very seriously to ensure that before we make any plans, before we make any decisions, that this is actually feasible from a community perspective as well. So all of that is currently in planning, but the nodes will be a smaller footprint with a similar function as the support hubs.

But when we're talking about Iqaluit we are talking about also a forward operation location, which involves also an airfield from where various Air Force platforms will be able to operate.