Thursday March 12, 2026 | NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends [VICTORIA, BC]
Prime Minister Mark Carney will soon be off on another international trip to Norway and the UK.
But first, today he is in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to announce a new plan to defend and transform Canada’s Northern and Arctic region. That announcement is expected at 2:30 pm MT.
Carney will meet with NWT Premier R J Simpson and then visit some local infrastructure.
In January, the premiers of Canada’s three northern territories outlined the needs for the North. “The territories are not provinces. If we want new infrastructure we need the federal government,” said Simpson in Ottawa during a First Ministers meeting on January 28.
“Canada is an Arctic nation,” said Simpson. He notes there is an Arctic Infrastructure Fund which the North caucus discussed with Steve McKinnon today who is Government House Leader and Minister of Transport.
“In the Northwest Territories we see the north at the centre of Canada’s strategic future. We have a significant number of resources that Canada needs, that the world needs in terms of critical minerals and natural gas. but we need support to access those,” said Simpson.
Heading to Norway:
Carney will then embark on his trip to Norway and the United Kingdom to strengthen collective defence and security.
“The Arctic is at the centre of this shift,” said Carney in a news release today. That’s in the context of a frequently used mantra in the prime minister’s news releases: “In a more dangerous and divided world.”
In this case, the Arctic is highlighted as a region “once considered isolated from global tensions” but which is now “an area of growing competition”.
All of which aligns with the federal government’s goal to deepen security partnerships and building domestic defence capabilities as part of protecting Canadian sovereignty and the collective security of Allies.
Itinerary:
The itinerary for Carney’s time in Norway includes being in Bardufoss and Oslo from March 13 to 15.
- In Bardufoss: Carney will observe the Norwegian-led NATO Exercise Cold Response (troops from 14 Allied nations gathering above the Arctic Circle to enhance the Alliance’s readiness, interoperability and defence capabilities, held approximately every two years, this year with 25,000 troops).
- In Oslo: Carney will meet with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, to advance the Canada-Norway partnership across trade, investment, clean energy, critical minerals and aerospace. Carney will then attend the 2026 Canada-Nordic Summit and meet with other Nordic partners to deepen geopolitical coordination and enhance transatlantic security including the North. Carney will engage with business leaders to position Canada as a premier destination for global capital and investment (particularly in defence, critical minerals and AI).
Carney will then head to London, UK to met with Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss a range of issues including collective defence, global economic shifts and the ongoing Middle East situation.
Allied toops:
The Exercise Cold Response brings together troops from 14 nations including Norway, the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, Turkiye, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Belgium.
The troops train for operations in Arctic and extreme winter conditions.
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NEWS SECTIONS: CANADA-NATIONAL | ARCTIC & THE NORTH | TRADE DIVERSIFICATION | NATIONAL DEFENCE