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Ottawa has unveiled a $35-billion plan to boost defence infrastructure in the Far North to defend the Arctic and protect Canada’s sovereignty — with a military base in Happy Valley-Goose Bay set to play a role.
The Liberal MP for Labrador, Philip Earle, said the announcement is welcome news and will enable 5 Wing Goose Bay to support Arctic operations.
But he couldn’t say how much is being allocated to Labrador, or provide a timeline for developments, directing those questions to the Department of National Defence.
“I do know that the plans for both activity and undertaking at Goose Bay in support of these activities that we’ve talked about is significant,” Earle told Radio-Canada.
There will be additional announcements with more details about work at 5 Wing Goose Bay in the coming weeks, he added.
Ottawa’s plan includes $32 billion in investments toward airfields, hangars and other facilities in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit, along with Goose Bay.
“These locations are at the heart of our mission to defend our territory. What they’ll do is they will enable the forces to deploy aircraft across all remote areas of the Arctic,” said Prime Minister Mark Carney, who made the announcement at a stop in Yellowknife on Thursday.
The federal government is also allocating $2.67 billion to build four new sites for northern operational support in Whitehorse, Resolute Bay, Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay.
The announcement comes amid mounting concerns over Canada’s security during increased geopolitical instability and U.S. President Donald Trump’s jabs about Canada’s sovereignty.
Labrador MP Philip Earle says Thursday’s announcement is “significant” and will enable the base to support Arctic operations. (Zach Russell/CBC)
Earle said the base is a significant employer in the region and the upcoming investment will also improve the community, which he said was great news.
When asked if the investment could lead to a boost in employment, he once again directed questions to the Department of National Defence.
Earle had previously told CBC News he hoped more federal defence spending would be allocated for the province and he’d raised the base’s strategic importance with Carney.
In 2022, former defence minister Anita Anand announced Goose Bay was one of four bases that would receive infrastructure improvements under Canada’s NORAD modernization plan, the binational North American air defence command shared with the United States.
Ahead of the 2006 federal election, former prime minister Stephen Harper also promised a military rapid-reaction unit would be based in Goose Bay, and the possibility of operating unmanned drones from the base — neither of which materialized.
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