Defense Minister Anita Anand holds media availability at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, January 26, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)
Defense Minister Anita Anand said: Canada We are significantly building our Arctic defense capabilities as the number of surveillance targets that may enter our jurisdiction increases.
After touring shipbuilder Seaspan ULC’s North Vancouver facility, Anand said the goal is to modernize the Norad “over the next few years” and improve continental defenses.
According to Anand, Ottawa has already committed about $40 billion towards that end, resulting in a “new Northern Approach Surveillance System” that will detect increasingly northern threats to protect Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic. ” is born.
Anand’s comments come after confirming that the Department of Defense and the Canadian military today are aware of recent Chinese efforts to monitor movements in Canadian airspace and waters through surveillance operations.
The Globe and Mail earlier reported that the Canadian military found a Chinese surveillance buoy in the Arctic last fall.
Mr Anand said this kind of activity was “not new” and that the Canadian government would “challenge China where it should” and “cooperate where it needs to”.