Canada opening new consulate in Greenland this week, in a bid for closer relations

Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand will open Canada’s new consulate in Greenland’s capital this week, as both allies seek to deepen ties amid turbulent relations with the U.S.

The pledge to open the diplomatic office — along with another consulate in Anchorage, Alaska — was initially laid out in the federal government’s Arctic foreign policy, unveiled late last year. Greenland’s government encouraged the move in its own policy document in early 2024, and hopes to reciprocate with an office in Ottawa.

“This is unprecedented in terms of expanding our Arctic footprint,” Anand told CBC News ahead of her trip.

“We are working hard to ensure that … we are playing our part as a significant Arctic country in a time where the geopolitical environment is volatile.”

Anand’s trip follows others to Greenland this year from high-ranking foreign officials. In June, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized bringing a “message of solidarity and friendship” to the territory during a visit. That was after U.S. Vice-President JD Vance accused Denmark of not doing a good job of keeping Greenland safe while he was visiting a U.S. military base in the north of the island.

During Vance’s visit, U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized his ongoing interest in acquiring the territory, telling reporters at the time, “we have to have Greenland.”

Greenland, as a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, handles its own domestic affairs while Copenhagen oversees defence and foreign policy. The Greenlandic government has been seeking more autonomy in foreign affairs.

Canada and Denmark are NATO allies and have embassies in each others’ capitals.

Asked about Trump’s threats toward Greenland, Anand said Canada is using the global stage to advance work in several areas, including Arctic protection and security.

“The people of Greenland know that Canada is a reliable, strong and co-operative partner going forward,” she said.

Collaboration on security, defence

Canada has not sent a high-level minister to Greenland in years. Canada’s new Arctic ambassador, Virginia Mearns, is joining Anand on the trip. Meetings are expected with Greenland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Motzfeldt and Danish counterpart Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Alex Dalziel, a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute who focuses on geopolitics and the Arctic, suggests this diplomatic step could also be the start of deeper collaboration on Arctic security.

“On defence, we should be thinking very hard about patrol aircraft and the coast guard, how we work with Greenland and Denmark,” said Dalziel, who previously worked with the Privy Council Office and the Department of National Defence.

“How do we co-operate, take advantage of each other’s knowledge in ways that are mutually beneficial?”

Dalziel also says this as an opportunity that can’t go to waste.

“It doesn’t matter how many planes you build, how many consulates you have, if you don’t have a centralized strategy that looks very, very hard at what advantages Canada has,” he said. “We really need to be showing on the world stage what it is Canada brings to the table.

“And that requires strategic thinking and strategic leadership — and I would say Canada is not there yet. But it’s very important that we are building some of these resources, like the consulate in Nuuk to get there.”

Canada joins a small number of countries operating official consulates in Nuuk, including the United States and Iceland — the latter of which will share its existing office space with the Canadian consulate. The minister’s office was not able to confirm the number of Canadian staff who will be working on the ground in Greenland; an announcement of who will take on the role of consular general is also expected at a later date.