Melanie Joly crafting 'Arctic foreign policy' amid regional tensions
CTV
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is readying an "Arctic foreign policy" aimed at preparing for a more tense time in international relations.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is readying an "Arctic foreign policy" aimed at preparing for a more tense time in international relations.
Joly tells Bloomberg News that this will involve working closely with NATO peers, including Finland and Sweden, who recently joined the military alliance.
Her office says this is a foreign policy and not a strategy document, unlike the expansive plan Joly released regarding the Indo-Pacific region.
The news comes after recent visits Joly made to Stockholm and to Iqaluit to meet with territorial premiers.
The Liberals recently appointed former cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett as ambassador to Denmark, a role they said was focused on closer relations with Greenland.
The government's defence policy update released in April focused heavily on the north, though it fell short of the NATO spending target for military-related matters.
Joly says the policy document is needed because geopolitics in the region have changed quickly from a "low-tension" situation that lasted for decades, and that means new partnerships in military exercises, intelligence sharing and defence procurement are required.
