The Canadian Coast Guard is getting an $816-million upgrade from the federal government, including drones and helicopters, four new Arctic radar stations, and a year-round maritime monitoring hub in Iqaluit.

National Defence Minister David McGuinty made the announcement Friday from a government hangar near the Iqaluit airport.

“We will ensure that coast guard personnel have a clear view of what is happening above, below and beneath Arctic waters and ice,” McGuinty said.

The new and upgraded surveillance equipment, scheduled to roll out over seven years, is a response to changes in Arctic shipping routes due to climate change and geopolitical tensions, McGuinty said.

The funding includes a fleet of short- and medium-range aerial, water surface and underwater drones of various sizes, including some larger drones that will be several metres long, said Kevin Brosseau, senior associate deputy minister of national defence and commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.

He added that the coast guard will acquire an undisclosed number of helicopters, tenders for which have not been issued.

The location and timeline for the four Arctic radar stations has not been determined, but Inuit hunters and elders will be consulted before the locations are finalized, McGuinty said.

The maritime monitoring hub in Iqaluit could be an addition to the current Marine Communication Traffic Services office on Niuraivik Lane, Brosseau said.

That office is currently open from mid-May through mid-December. Once equipped with new monitoring systems, the site will be staffed 24-hours per day, year-round, for the collection and analysis of maritime intelligence.

Although the Canadian Coast Guard remains a civilian agency, it was transferred from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to the Department of National Defence in September 2025.

The new Strengthening Canada’s Immigration Systems and Borders Act, adopted in March, gives the coast guard additional security responsibilities to collect and share intelligence related to Canada’s waters.

Security-related activities are being integrated into the coast guard’s regular operations, such as search and rescue, icebreaking, environmental response and protection, supporting ocean science, and maintaining safe and navigable waterways.