Carney Announces Billions for Defense  03/13 06:29

   

   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.