NATION-BUILDING AT HOME, VIGILANCE BEYOND: PREPARING FOR THE COMING DECADES IN THE ARCTIC Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development Michael Levitt, Chair APRIL 2019 42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION The proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees are hereby made available to provide greater public access. The parliamentary privilege of the House of Commons to control the publication and broadcast of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees is nonetheless reserved. All copyrights therein are also reserved. Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part and in any medium, is hereby permitted provided that the reproduction is accurate and is not presented as official. This permission does not extend to reproduction, distribution or use for commercial purpose of financial gain. 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For greater certainty, this permission does not affect the prohibition against impeaching or questioning the proceedings of the House of Commons in courts or otherwise. The House of Commons retains the right and privilege to find users in contempt of Parliament if a reproduction or use is not in accordance with this permission. Also available on the House of Commons website at the following address: www.ourcommons.ca NATION-BUILDING AT HOME, VIGILANCE BEYOND: PREPARING FOR THE COMING DECADES IN THE ARCTIC Report of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development Michael Levitt Chair APRIL 2019 42nd PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION NOTICE TO READER Reports from committee presented to the House of Commons Presenting a report to the House is the way a committee makes public its findings and recommendations on a particular topic. Substantive reports on a subject-matter study usually contain a synopsis of the testimony heard, the recommendations made by the committee, as well as the reasons for those recommendations. STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHAIR Michael Levitt VICE-CHAIRS Hon. Erin O’Toole Guy Caron MEMBERS Ziad Aboultaif Leona Alleslev Frank Baylis Pamela Goldsmith-Jones (Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member) Kamal Khera (Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member) Hon. Andrew Leslie (Parliamentary Secretary — Non-Voting Member) Raj Saini Jati Sidhu Anita Vandenbeld Borys Wrzesnewskyj OTHER MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT WHO PARTICIPATED Dean Allison Vance Badawey Daniel Blaikie David de Burgh Graham Peter Fonseca Garnett Genuis Angelo Iacono Linda Lapointe Hélène Laverdière Hon. Robert D. Nault iii Robert-Falcon Ouellette Blake Richards Adam Vaughan Salma Zahid CLERK OF THE COMMITTEE Erica Pereira LIBRARY OF PARLIAMENT Parliamentary Information and Research Service Allison Goody, Analyst Brian Hermon, Analyst Scott McTaggart, Analyst iv THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT has the honour to present its TWENTY-FOURTH REPORT Pursuant to its mandate under Standing Order 108(2), the Committee has studied Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and has agreed to report the following: v TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................. 3 NATION-BUILDING AT HOME, VIGILANCE BEYOND: PREPARING FOR THE COMING DECADES IN THE ARCTIC ...................................................................................................................... 9 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 9 EMPOWERING THE NORTH ............................................................................................................... 11 THE ARCTIC AS A NATIONAL IMPERATIVE ............................................................................... 13 THE WORLD’S GAZE SHIFTS NORTHWARD ............................................................................... 15 A Changing Climate ......................................................................................................................... 15 A Geopolitical Fog ............................................................................................................................ 21 Russia’s Military Posture in the Arctic ............................................................................ 22 Keeping the Temperature Down: Avenues for Cooperation ................................. 31 China’s Arctic Ambitions ....................................................................................................... 36 PERSPECTIVES ON CANADA’S ARCTIC SOVEREIGNTY ......................................................... 41 International Law ............................................................................................................................ 44 The Northwest Passage ......................................................................................................... 44 Recognition of Canada’s Extended Continental Shelf in the Arctic .................... 50 Indigenous Participation in Circumpolar Diplomacy ...................................................... 55 Exclusive and Effective Control ................................................................................................. 58 Maritime Traffic in the Canadian Arctic ......................................................................... 58 Marine Safety and Co-Management of the Waters .................................................... 64 Maritime Domain Awareness and Enforcement Capabilities ............................... 70 Search and Rescue ................................................................................................................... 79 vii The Defence of North America ................................................................................................... 86 Permanent Presence ............................................................................................................... 86 Looking Up and Out ................................................................................................................. 88 Nation-Building at Home .............................................................................................................. 93 Respecting Northern Aspirations for Economic Development ............................ 95 Confronting the Infrastructure Deficit .......................................................................... 103 Science and Knowledge .............................................................................................................. 110 CONCLUSION: BEYOND ARCTIC “SOVEREIGNTY” ................................................................. 117 APPENDIX A: LIST OF WITNESSES ............................................................................................... 119 APPENDIX B: LIST OF BRIEFS ......................................................................................................... 123 APPENDIX C: TRAVEL TO NUNAVUT AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES FROM SEPTEMBER 30 TO OCTOBER 6, 2018 .......................................................................... 125 REQUEST FOR GOVERNMENT RESPONSE ................................................................................ 131 viii SUMMARY The House of Commons Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development studied a part of Canada, and a region of the world, which is undergoing profound change. Sea ice that had once blanketed the circumpolar Arctic is receding and breaking apart. The long-term trend is toward a more accessible maritime space. That is generating interest in the viability of Arctic shipping routes, including on the part of a globally ambitious China. The alteration of the region’s maritime geography is occurring alongside a deterioration in the global security environment. Russia has been rebuilding and modernizing its military capabilities and has demonstrated a willingness to challenge the international rules-based order. Perhaps most alarming, with new missile technology, Russian aircraft and submarines can now strike targets at great distances, including from launch points well outside of North American airspace and waters. There is a need for deterrence through the collective will of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The aging components of continental defence must also be revitalized. Even so, a measured and resolute response