Beyond its value as a strategic economic asset, Canada’s only deepwater Arctic port may also prove crucial to Canadian sovereignty should U.S. President Donald Trump follow through on his rhetoric to take control of Greenland.
That’s according to Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who has in recent months been pushing for more investment from Ottawa in expanding the Port of Churchill amid Trump’s tariffs.
“What is our only hope if this Greenland stuff continues? Churchill. So, we’re leaning into Churchill hard,” Kinew told reporters at an unrelated news conference Monday in Winnipeg, about 1,000 kilometres south of Churchill.
“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’s comments come on the heels of threats by Trump to impose tariffs on on European countries that attempt to impede his efforts to buy and control Greenland.
Federal Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand agrees Churchill’s location may be critical should 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 an unrelated news conference in Winnipeg on Monday.
“I think strategically Churchill … is the gateway to the North.”
Members of the Royal Canadian Air Force are presently taking part in a preplanned NORAD exercise in Greenland, but CBC News also learned this weekend that Prime Minister Mark Carney is weighing whether to send more forces to take part in sovereignty exercises planned by Denmark.
On Monday morning, Trump told NBC News he was “100 per cent” committed to levying a 10 per cent tariff against Britain, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden should they continue to oppose U.S. control of Greenland.
Trump’s tariff threats came after those eight EU members last week sent small contingents of military personnel to Greenland, of the semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
In 1951, the U.S. and Denmark signed an agreement that permits the Americans to construct military bases in Greenland and freely move around the island so long as Greenland and Denmark are informed.
Tensions ratcheted up again after conversations between Danish officials and the Trump administration failed to quell fears.
During the interview with NBC on Monday, Trump said “no comment” when asked if his government would take Greenland by force. Last week, his press secretary Karoline Leavitt told media that “utilizing the U.S. military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal.”
Kinew has been calling on Canada to help shore up Churchill’s port and rail infrastructure for months, as a means of boosting international trade in the face of Trump’s tariffs.
Expansion plans have received honorable mention but failed to make the first two tranches of major project funding announcements by the Carney government.
Federal Minister Chartrand was in Winnipeg on Monday for an announcement of a partnership between three provincial transportation organizations.
The Arctic Gateway Group, Winnipeg Airports Authority and CentrePort signed a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to work together more closely to capitalize on Manitoba’s land, rail, air and sea network.
Kinew took an opportunity to weigh in on Greenland at an unrelated announcement on Monday of funds for enhanced security for cultural and religious organizations facing hate-motivated vandalism and harassment.
The premier urged observers to consider how “with each passing day the opportunity that Churchill presents becomes more and more important.”
“I’ve had the great privilege of speaking to people in the Armed Forces over the years and one saying that has stuck with me is that they say, ‘Amateurs think about strategies, professionals think about logistics,'” said Kinew.
“If you’re thinking whatever about Trump, if you’re thinking whatever about Greenland, think Churchill,” he said.
“That is Canada’s answer to what is going on right now. And by the way, it’s Canada’s answer for how to we grow our economy, how do we become less dependent on the U.S., how do we ensure that western Canadian resources can reach the E.U., can reach Asia.”
