Defence and security experts are raising alarms that former U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed threats to occupy Greenland could significantly undermine Canada's own sovereignty claims in the increasingly strategic Arctic region.
Analysts Sound the Alarm on Sovereignty Precedent
Retired General Tom Lawson, former chief of the defence staff, stated that a U.S. move to take Greenland for hemispheric defence purposes should place the Canadian government on high alert. Lawson, who now chairs the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, pointed out that Denmark's sovereignty claim over Greenland is arguably stronger than Canada's claim to sovereignty extending to the North Pole across the Arctic archipelago.
This concern comes as Prime Minister Mark Carney recently affirmed, following a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in Paris, that the future of Greenland will be decided "solely" by the people of Denmark and Greenland. Reinforcing this diplomatic stance, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand is scheduled to visit Nuuk, Greenland, soon for the opening of a new Canadian consulate.
Canada's Northern Investments and the Persistent Threat
According to analysts, recent federal investments to boost Canada's military presence in the North are a clear acknowledgment that Arctic sovereignty faces tangible threats. These measures include:
- A pledge to increase defence spending to five percent of GDP by 2035.
- A recently announced $1 billion investment over four years to enhance civilian and military transportation infrastructure in the Arctic.
- A partnership with Australia to develop Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar technology.
- An initial investment to create next-generation military satellite communications tailored for Arctic operations.
While Lawson described these efforts as admirable, he questioned whether they would be sufficient to counter American territorial ambitions. "Whether it's enough to offset American desire to own territory in the north? I don't know," he remarked.
Geopolitical Stakes and Escalating Rhetoric
Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and a NATO member, holds immense strategic importance in the Atlantic Ocean. Trump has intensified his rhetoric about acquiring the island in recent weeks, arguing that if the United States does not take it, rivals like Russia and China will. "One way or another, we will have Greenland," he told reporters on a recent Sunday.
Amid these rising tensions, Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers are set to meet with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Whitney Lackenbauer, research chair of the study of the Canadian North at Trent University, warned of the broader implications, stating that a U.S. acquisition of Greenland could be "the first step in eventually acquiring control over all of northern North America."
This is not a new proposition from Trump, who publicly expressed interest in buying the island in 2019, famously comparing the potential acquisition to a real estate deal. The persistent nature of these threats underscores the ongoing vulnerability analysts see for Canada's position in its own Far North.
