Hon. Dennis Glen Patterson: Honourable senators, the preamble of the 1993 Nunavut Land Claims Agreement specifically recognized “the contributions of Inuit to Canada’s history, identity and sovereignty in the Arctic.”

I’m happy to announce that I’m working with Inuit development corporations from all regions of Inuit Nunangat to host an Arctic sovereignty and security summit in Iqaluit on October 3.

After welcoming the early explorers, whalers, traders and missionaries who needed help navigating and surviving in the Arctic, Inuit have provided ongoing contributions to sovereignty and security in Canada’s Arctic. They have been an important presence during the operation of the Distant Early Warning Line system during the Cold War, and Inuit corporations have played a lead role in the cleanup of that DEW Line and other contaminated sites from that era. More recently, a pan-Arctic, Inuit-led consortium, Pan Arctic Inuit Logistics Corporation, Nasittuq, has recently been contracted by Canada again to operate and maintain the North Warning System.

That technology is now outdated and in need of modernization — a reality that decades of Russian militarization in their Arctic and Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and reckless invasion of Ukraine has highlighted this year. So it was welcome and long-awaited news that Canada is now committed to NORAD modernization with a commitment of $4.9 billion in Budget 2022, and a further $20 billion over the coming decade.

Arctic sovereignty cannot and must not be only about militarization. It must be about more than new military hardware and modernizing surveillance technology. It must also be about the people and communities of the Arctic. This summit is being organized with the aim of sensitizing our federal government to opportunities for legacy community infrastructure and continued Inuit participation in NORAD modernization. We must seize this opportunity to reinforce Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic by also working toward narrowing the infrastructure gap in the North in communications, transportation, energy, roads, ports and airports. This is about not neglecting the human and community dimension in establishing sovereignty and security in the Arctic.

In the past, sovereignty and security in the Arctic has come at the expense of Inuit, including a tragic history of forced relocation. Today, we have the opportunity to include Inuit from the very beginning, letting them lead the discussion with their stated priorities and goals.

I am happy that the Senate Defence Committee will travel to the North in its forthcoming fact-finding tour as part of its study on Arctic sovereignty. I’d like to thank Senator Dean, chair of the committee, and his steering committee colleagues for supporting this opportunity for our Senate committee and its staff. I hope this summit will be helpful to the committee in formulating its recommendations to our government on strengthening Arctic sovereignty. Qujannamik.