READOUT: Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Murkowski Lead Bipartisan All-Women Congressional Delegation to Canada

IQALUIT, CANADA - U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Co-Chair of the Senate Arctic Caucus, led a bipartisan, all-women congressional delegation to Iqaluit, Canada for meetings with Canadian officials, Inuit leaders and Arctic stakeholders. The delegation included U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).

During the visit, the Senators met with Canadian Minister of National Defense David McGuinty, Commissioner of the Coast Guard Kevin Brosseau, Nunavut Premier John Main and Canadian Arctic Ambassador Virginia Mearns to discuss Canada's increased investments in the Arctic, its policy toward the Arctic region and the challenges facing its rural communities.

The Senators toured Iqaluit and received briefings on the Canadian government's efforts to modernize Arctic infrastructure and emergency response capabilities in the High North to protect American and Canadian national security and the broader NATO alliance. Meetings with Canadian officials and local leaders also conveyed the importance of partnering with Indigenous communities, whose leadership and expertise are essential elements of Arctic governance and security.

Across the engagements, the Senators underscored the importance of the U.S.-Canada partnership in maintaining stability, bolstering our national security-particularly in Alaska-and advancing shared strategic interests in the Arctic amid growing geopolitical competition in the region. The Senators commended Canada for committing to increased defense spending on an expedited timeline consistent with the agreement reached by NATO Allies at the 2025 Hague Summit, which will strengthen Arctic security and accelerate North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) modernization.

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