A May 2025 opinion poll of residents in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut found a plurality identifying the United States as the most serious threat to the Canadian Arctic, according to an OPSA survey report. The findings come as the federal government advances Canada’s Arctic Foreign Policy and as U.S. President Donald Trump’s Greenland statements and appointments draw pushback from Denmark and Greenland, according to JURIST and an Agence France-Presse report.
The OPSA report said the survey was conducted May 8–26, 2025, with 609 adults living in the three territories. It found 37% of respondents named the U.S. as the most serious threat, compared with 35% for Russia and 17% for China.
On sovereignty, the report said 85% of Northern respondents agreed Canada must use its Arctic sovereignty or risk losing its part of the Arctic. It also found 62% favoured a “firm line” approach in defending Canada’s Arctic, while 26% preferred a diplomatic approach to Arctic border or resource disputes.
In the Greenland dispute, Trump announced he had named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy to Greenland, according to JURIST and the AFP report. Both outlets reported Trump has framed “ownership and control” of the island as a national security issue and has refused to rule out the use of force. JURIST also reported Denmark and Greenland’s leaders issued a joint statement rejecting annexation.
The AFP report said Denmark in August summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires following reports that U.S. officials in Nuuk were attempting to identify supporters and opponents of closer ties with the United States.
Ottawa’s Arctic diplomacy plan, launched in December 2024, includes an expanded presence and partnerships under four pillars, including advancing Canada’s interests through “pragmatic diplomacy,” according to Global Affairs Canada. A related backgrounder said the policy includes opening new consulates in Anchorage, Alaska, and Nuuk, Greenland, and appointing an Arctic ambassador with an office in Canada’s North.
In July 2025, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami said Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the appointment of Virginia Mearns as Canada’s Arctic ambassador at the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee in Inuvik, with the appointment effective Sept. 15, 2025, and a mandate focused on reinforcing Arctic engagement with partners and multilateral forums and advancing sovereignty, security and growth, according to an ITK release.
Canada has also been building new North-focused partnerships with European Arctic allies. In a joint statement, Carney and Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the two countries are establishing a Strategic Partnership covering security and defence, Arctic cooperation and North-North connections, and cooperation on critical minerals and supply chain resilience.
On trade diversification, the federal government has launched a $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund aimed at improving access to overseas markets through port, airport, rail and digital infrastructure investments, the Department of Finance said. The department said the broader strategy is intended to double overseas exports over a decade.
Legal disputes in the Arctic remain a live issue between Canada and the United States, including the status of the Northwest Passage. An OpenCanada analysis described the legal uncertainty as a strategic vulnerability, noting Canada considers the route internal waters while the U.S. treats it as an international strait, and pointing to past transits by U.S. vessels without Canada’s permission as a source of friction.
Key details
- OPSA said its May 2025 territorial survey found 37% naming the U.S. as the most serious Arctic threat, ahead of Russia (35%) and China (17%).
- The same report found 85% agreed Canada must use its Arctic sovereignty or risk losing it, and 62% supported a “firm line” approach in Arctic disputes.
- JURIST and an AFP report reported Trump appointed Jeff Landry as U.S. special envoy to Greenland as Denmark and Greenland pushed back against annexation rhetoric.
- Global Affairs Canada says the Arctic Foreign Policy includes new consulates planned for Anchorage and Nuuk and an Arctic ambassador role based in the North.
- Finance Canada says a new $5 billion Trade Diversification Corridors Fund will invest in trade-enabling infrastructure tied to a goal of doubling overseas exports over a decade.
