WINNIPEG, Monday – Canada’s only deepwater Arctic port in Churchill, Man., could play a vital role in safeguarding national sovereignty if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on threats to take control of Greenland, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Monday.
Kinew said the Port of Churchill, along with its connecting rail line, represents Canada’s most critical Arctic access point at a time of growing geopolitical tension in the North.
“What is our only hope if this Greenland stuff continues? Churchill,” Kinew told reporters at an unrelated news conference in Winnipeg, roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the northern port. “Canada has a lot of great plans for the future, but there’s only one port and one rail line that feeds the Arctic, and that would be absolutely essential for us to maintain sovereignty.”
Kinew has been pressing Ottawa to invest more heavily in expanding the port, citing both economic opportunities and national security concerns. His comments come amid renewed threats from Trump to impose tariffs on European countries that attempt to interfere with his efforts to buy and control Greenland.
Federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand echoed Kinew’s assessment, saying Churchill’s strategic location could be critical if international tensions over Greenland escalate.
“Strategically, it can be the supply chain that’s needed to move goods to the North, whether that’s for military, whether that’s for civilians, whether that’s for businesses,” Chartrand said at a separate news conference in Winnipeg. “I think strategically Churchill is the gateway to the North.”
Meanwhile, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are currently participating in a preplanned NORAD exercise in Greenland. CBC News has also learned that Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering whether to deploy additional Canadian forces to take part in sovereignty exercises planned by Denmark.
The federal government has not yet announced any new investments in the Port of Churchill, but northern security and infrastructure are expected to be key topics in upcoming discussions between Ottawa and provincial leaders.
