Every year, the Canadian Armed Forces deploy soldiers to Canada's Arctic for a series of activities that are broadly called Operation NANOOK. One of the main reasons for doing this is to show that Canada is present and active in the area. And this is becoming increasingly more important to our country for at least two reasons.

One, climate change is making the area more accessible and navigable. So there's growing interest in it as a global shipping route. And two, the waters, specifically the Northwest Passage, are contested. Canada claims them as internal waterways, but many other countries continue to argue that the passage is an international strait.

This should not surprise anyone.

So I am of the strong opinion that this is a critically important operation for Canada. In fact, it's very possible that we're not doing nearly enough. The North can feel pretty far away from Middle Island in Lake Erie (which is the southernmost point of our country). And that's because it is. But it should never be out of mind.

If you're interested in this topic, I would encourage you to take a look at this photo essay by Gavin John, published in the Globe and Mail. Gavin takes incredible photos and you can find more of his work here and here.

Cover photo by Gavin John