Canada's new leader announces Australian radar purchase while visiting edge of Arctic Circle

IQALUIT, Nunavut -- Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney connected Tuesday announced a radar acquisition from Australia and an enlargement of subject operations successful the Arctic portion visiting Canada's acold northbound successful an effort to asseverate sovereignty implicit the progressively contested region.

The premier minister's bureau said the Canadian $6 cardinal ($4.2 billion) Over-the-Horizon Radar strategy volition supply aboriginal informing radar sum from the Canada-United States borderline into the Arctic.

Carney announced the acquisition astatine a subject basal successful the superior of the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut connected his past halt aft visiting Paris and London for meetings with leaders there.

“Arctic sovereignty is simply a strategical precedence of our government,” Carney said. ““Canada is, and everlastingly volition be, an Arctic nation."

The Australian radar strategy volition dwell of a bid of pillars astir a mile (1.6 kilometers) successful length. Officials said that the strategy would person a smaller footprint than what the akin American strategy would instrumentality up.

“This volition beryllium a important export if this woody is finalized,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

Albanese had a telephone telephone with Carney the anterior night.

“Obviously, determination are issues taking place, peculiarly betwixt Canada and the United States, I wouldn’t person expected to person been happening successful my lifetime," Albanese said.

Senior Canadian authorities officials, who briefed reporters connected Carney's level earlier the announcement, said the acquisition has been good received by apical subject officials successful the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the associated U.S.-Canadian subject bid that overseas threats implicit the 2 countries.

But the officials said they couldn't accidental however the Australian acquisition would beryllium received politically by Washington. The officials spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they weren't authorized to talk publicly.

Carney besides announced the authorities volition walk Canadian $420 cardinal ($294 million) to grow Canada’s Arctic operations and grooming exercises and deploy much personnel. He said Canada volition person a “greater sustained year-round presence.”

The premier minister’s formation way took him implicit Greenland. U.S. President Donald Trump’s involvement successful Greenland, northeast of Nunavut, comes arsenic portion of an aggressively “America First” overseas argumentation level that has included threats to instrumentality power of the Panama Canal and suggestions that Canada should go the 51st U.S. state.

“The United States priorities, erstwhile intimately aligned with our own, are opening to shift," Carney said.

Trump has threatened economical coercion to marque Canada the 51st state. His changeless speech of annexation has infuriated Canadians and turned astir the governmental fortunes of the governing Liberal party, which was headed for a historical decision but present has a accidental of winning a 4th term. Carney is expected to telephone a wide predetermination by the extremity of the week.

The president is threatening sweeping tariffs connected each Canadian products and has already placed them connected alloy and aluminum.

Carney and Trump person not spoken since Carney was elected arsenic the caller Liberal enactment person and premier curate much than a week ago. Carney said astatine the “appropriate time” helium volition person a treatment with the U.S. president, arsenic “two sovereign nations, that is broad and not targeted astatine 1 issue.”

But Trump keeps disrespecting Canada, saying doubly connected Fox News connected Tuesday nighttime that that “Canada was meant to beryllium the 51st state."

He said that's wherefore he's he's tougher connected his neighbour than America's biggest adversaries.

Trump besides repeated respective times that helium didn't attraction that the Liberals mightiness triumph the Canadian predetermination now.

“The Conservative that’s moving is stupidly nary person of mine. I don’t know, but helium said antagonistic things,” Trump said. “So, erstwhile helium says antagonistic things, I couldn’t attraction less. I deliberation it’s easier to woody really with a Liberal. And possibly they’re going to win, but I don’t truly care. It doesn’t substance to maine astatine all.”

Carney visited Iqaluit, which is by acold the largest municipality successful Nunavut, a immense territory straddling the Arctic Circle. Nunavut is astir the size of the U.S. states of Alaska and California combined, with a mostly Inuit colonisation of astir 40,000.

For overmuch of the year, the upwind successful Iqaluit tin beryllium severe. In February 2010, Iqaluit hosted a gathering of concern ministers and cardinal slope governors from the Group of Seven nations. Several of the dignitaries, including Carney erstwhile helium was caput of Canada’s cardinal bank, went dogsledding successful subfreezing temperatures.

It is simply a distinctive destination — location to astir 7,500 radical but not a azygous postulation airy — with nary roadworthy oregon obstruction links to the extracurricular world.

Increasing planetary tensions, planetary warming and the changing satellite system person enactment the Arctic astatine the bosom of the statement implicit planetary commercialized and security.