A new Arctic survey has put an unusual strain in Canada-US relations into numbers, with residents of Canada’s North more likely to identify Washington than Moscow or Beijing as the region’s biggest security threat.
Global News reported that 48% of respondents named the US under President Donald Trump, compared with 30% who selected Russia and 12% who selected China.
The polling was conducted for Quebec-based Observatoire de la politique et la sécurité de l’Arctique, or OPSA.
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The Centre for International Policy Studies said the survey questioned 650 residents of the Canadian Arctic in May 2026 and examined security threats, risks, and views of federal and regional governments. Global News identified the surveyed regions as Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavik.
A year earlier, OPSA’s first annual survey found 37% of northern respondents identified the US as the most serious Arctic threat, narrowly ahead of Russia at 35%, while China stood at 17%.
In the survey results, 60% favored Canada taking a firm position in Arctic disputes, while 26% preferred negotiating a compromise.
The results land as Ottawa commits substantially more money to northern defence. Canada announced $32 billion for military infrastructure at northern forward operating locations and Goose Bay, along with $2.67 billion for northern operational hubs and nodes.
Canada and the US nevertheless remain formal Arctic security partners. In May, the two countries joined six other Arctic allies in committing to stronger military presence, surveillance, joint training, and NATO cooperation in the region.
Ottawa is simultaneously pushing closer to Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on September 16 that Canada and the EU plan to make the Arctic a joint flagship project alongside cooperation on defence, energy, critical minerals, and technology.
