An Indigenous council in the Northwest Territories has updated its federal registration to lobby officials about major northern development projects, including a key Arctic radar initiative tied to Canada’s North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) modernization plans.

NORAD is a joint Canada-U.S. defence organization that monitors for aeronautic or maritime threats to North America, including in the Arctic and North.

The council's lobbying registration update comes as Ottawa grows increasingly focused on Arctic defence amid rising political tensions and military interest in the North.

The Nihtat Gwich’in Council registration was added to the IJF’s lobbying database earlier this month.

According to the filing, the council is advocating around “major projects in the Northwest Territories including the Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar and potentially related development.”

The registration targets several federal departments and agencies, including National Defence, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Natural Resources Canada and Public Services and Procurement Canada.

The Polar Over-the-Horizon Radar project is part of Ottawa’s broader effort to modernize NORAD and expand Arctic surveillance capabilities.

According to the federal government, the radar system will help monitor and detect threats approaching the Arctic.

The increased focus on northern surveillance comes as military leaders express concerns about growing Russian and Chinese military activity near the Arctic.

The lobbying filing does not outline specific asks or expected outcomes, but it suggests northern Indigenous governments are positioning themselves as potential partners for economic and infrastructure opportunities linked to major Arctic defence projects.

The federal government has also recently announced billions of dollars in new infrastructure investments tied to Arctic defence and military operations.

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