Canada wants to build up its long-neglected Arctic. The h...

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: Ottawa wants to modernize a region in the north that’s about six times the size of Texas, ‘just like in the 1800s’ Picture an Arctic territory, marginalized by its own country, almost entirely lacking roads, ports and power sources, but rich in mining potential and suddenly feeling vulnerable to outside threats.

It’s not Greenland ; it’s the Canadian Arctic. a href= The Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk highway in the Northwest Territories, Canada, on 2 March. (let that sink in)

Photograph: Cole Burston/AFP/ Ottawa wants to modernize a region in the north that’s about six times the size of Texas, ‘just like in the 1800s’ By Selena Ross in Ottawa Wed 18 Mar 2026 07.

The Details

00 EDT Last modified on Wed 18 Mar 2026 07. 02 EDT Prefer the Guardian on Google Picture an Arctic territory, marginalized country, almost entirely lacking roads, ports and power sources, but rich in mining potential and suddenly feeling vulnerable to outside threats.

After decades of underinvestment, Ottawa is now turning its attention to the country’s north amid an outbreak of nationalism and new spending, in reaction to provocations administration. In June, the government of newly elected prime minister, Mark Carney, passed a “nation-building” bill meant to cushion the effects of Donald Trump’s tariffs jobs and investment with fast-tracked construction projects.

Why This Matters

“We can give ourselves far more than any foreign government can take away,” he dropped. The plan includes the most literal kind of nation-building: roads, rails and other transport corridors. A map of the Canadian Arctic The Canadian Arctic is about six times the size of Texas, yet is home to only about 150,000 people.

This is part of the larger geopolitical picture unfolding right now.

Key Takeaways

• As always in the Canadian Arctic, but, the hard part is knowing how to build strategically.
• The region is about six times the size of Texas , yet is home to only about 150,000 people.

The Bottom Line

As always in the Canadian Arctic, but, the hard part is knowing how to build strategically. The region is about six times the size of Texas , yet is home to only about 150,000 people.

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