Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent visit to Iqaluit in Canada’s High North, supposedly about Arctic security, was nothing more than a carefully staged photo-op. Carney has spent his career obsessing over carbon credits and ESG scores, not national defense. His sudden interest in the Arctic is about politics, not security.

While the new prime minster posed for cameras and lectured on “climate resilience” and “sustainable investment,” Russia was expanding its Arctic military infrastructure and China was pressing forward with its bid to entrench itself in Arctic governance. Carney’s worldview, built on the belief that global finance and regulation are the ultimate levers of power, ignores the hard reality that sovereignty is upheld by military strength.

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Carney’s proposed Arctic strategy reflects his fixation on green policies rather than concrete security needs. He envisions a future where Canada asserts sovereignty not through military presence or strategic infrastructure, but through climate-friendly economic development.

His plan prioritizes clean energy projects, international environmental cooperation and increased investment in sustainable industries. He argues that by positioning Canada as a leader in Arctic climate policy, the country will gain influence and legitimacy in shaping the region’s governance. But this vision ignores the fact that the Arctic is not merely an environmental frontier — it is a contested geopolitical space where adversaries are not waiting for Canada’s green investments to dictate the rules of engagement.

Carney has always put ideological commitments ahead of national interests. As governor of the Bank of England, he pushed financial........

© The Hill