Ottawa has promised tens of billions of dollars for Arctic defence infrastructure over the next decade, but the territorial leaders who will live with the results have been largely absent from the coverage. Vanguard set out to change that, putting the same set of questions to all three northern premiers — Nunavut's John Main, Yukon's Currie Dixon and Northwest Territories' R.J. Simpson — in three separate conversations this summer.

The answers did not line up neatly. One premier described a relationship with the Department of National Defence he called unusually close. Another said he has yet to see a dollar land in his territory, or a phone call from the minister. The third is watching billions move through his territory already, while still worrying about who ends up doing the work and collecting the paycheques.

What does the investment actually look like on the ground in your territory right now?

Main: I think you know it's a welcome investment... long overdue... everything from healthcare to schools to runways to power generation and drinking water. Everything is stretched in terms of our ability to support development.

Dixon: We simply don't know... we haven't seen any direct investment in the Yukon yet. We've heard the big commitments. We've seen significant promises, and unfortunately, we just haven't seen that materialize into any real action in the Yukon yet. I believe the headline of the press release was that it was to transform the North and the Arctic, but... we were largely left out of that.

Simpson: There was a pre-procurement notice for Inuvik and Yellowknife northern operational support hubs at $5-billion each, and I think from what I've heard they're forecasting an increase from that. So there's definitely money being spent.

Do you feel you're being consulted early enough on these projects?

Main: In terms of the military considerations, in terms of locations or bases and locations, we were not necessarily consulted on that. We can tell DND that we don't have a lot of excess power available in Resolute. We have existing assets that are very old, and at the end of their lifespan, so we're kind of in a jam there.

Dixon: Unfortunately, I think the answer there's no. I mean, we haven't really had much engagement on this... at no point has the federal minister called me up and asked me what I think about it or anything like that.

Simpson: It's almost strange how much they're coordinating with us, how much they're listening to us. We're not used to that in the territory, we're sort of used to being ignored a little bit.

What's the biggest strain on local infrastructure from all of this?

Main: Healthcare, drinking water. We don't want to be left holding the bag, so to speak... that needs to be scoped into the work to develop these pieces of infrastructure.

Dixon: The Dempster Highway, the only road that connects the south to the Arctic Ocean, the only point in Canada at which you can drive to the Arctic Ocean, is significantly deteriorated. At least a third of it is in very poor condition, and about two thirds of it are passable, but not great.

Simpson: We're starting from a deficit. A lot of our infrastructure is decades old, and now it's all coming due. We're in the same boat, a lot of really outdated infrastructure at the best of times.

How much of the economic benefit — jobs, contracts — do you expect to stay in the north?

Main: The expectation from that type of major development is that there's a detailed, focused training and labor force plan that brings in as many Nunavut residents as possible, as many Inuit as possible... because we don't want to see those paychecks fly south.

Dixon: A lot of that investment is going to come through to southern businesses and southern communities, and is going to be imposed into the north. The best way to do that is to start to talk to us and to plan together as to how we can do some of this.

Simpson: We don't want to miss out on any economic benefits from all of these projects. I want there to be buy-in, I really want the territory to embrace CAF and our new role.

Does Ottawa's definition of Arctic sovereignty match how you'd define it for your territory and residents?

Main: Our sovereignty and security strategy, which was released in 2025 states that sovereignty and security is much bigger than just defense and a hard militaristic perspective, that boils down to the health of the communities and the health of the people in those communities... we are very much challenged in terms of healthcare, in terms of cost of living, in terms of food security.

Dixon: It's obviously imperative that Canada be able to enforce and secure our sovereignty in the north, and that includes with military assets and military infrastructure but another important component is healthy and robust communities in the north... a very important component of our sovereignty in the north are the people that actually live there.

Simpson: The people of the territory are the ones asserting Arctic sovereignty every single day, on the ground.

If you had one specific change to how the federal government plans or delivers this investment, what would it be?

Main: You're not building a piece of infrastructure in southern Canada. You're building a piece of infrastructure in Nunavut, which is the Inuit homeland... that would be my wish, that the northern specific approach that maximizes benefits to rural residents, rural businesses, and will leave a lasting positive legacy.

Dixon: I just wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't put my hand up and say that the Yukon needs to be included in that as well.

Simpson: It's been done one way in the past. We want to make sure it's done a different way, to the benefit of the territory, going forward.

Is there a shared position among the three of you, or do you see this differently?

Main: We very much communicate on these issues as of late. We have what's called the Northern Premiers' Forum, and it's been a hot topic, no doubt. We do share approaches and share intelligence back and forth... we have a lot in common across the three territories, but the context is a bit different.

Dixon: We had our northern premiers meeting last in June this summer in Hay River, Northwest Territories, and we issued a communiqué following that in late June, which outlined our collective position on a range of issues, including Arctic security and sovereignty.

Anything else you want to add?

Main: It's great to see National Defence engaging with Inuit organizations. They're a big stakeholder, a big part of the foundation of the territory... as a public government, we represent everyone in the territory, and we speak with that voice for everyone. But we also recognize that, as laid out in the land claim, the Nunavut agreement, Inuit organizations have a really important role to play.

Dixon: When the prime minister made that announcement in March, he announced $35-billion in spending... our three territories combined, our GDPs combined are about $11-billion... we're talking about triple the combined GDPs of our three territories, in a single press release.

Simpson: Both the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor are going to open up areas for development where we know there are critical minerals that we need. That's the other exciting thing about this, that focus on a new era of mining in the territory, and in Canada.