Canada's arctic patrol vessels 

The patrol vessels of the new HARRY-DEWOLF class are intended to contribute to military protection and the safety of shipping in Canada's Arctic waters. Their design is derived from a Norwegian ship class.

Increasing great power tensions and easier access to Arctic waters due to climate change emphasise the need to prioritise the protection of NATO's northernmost regions. Among other things, the Arctic is becoming one of the fastest routes for moving warships between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans thanks to the melting ice caps. There is also a risk that Russia and China in particular could try to exploit the easier access to areas previously permanently covered in ice in order to assert their own territorial claims or exploit the natural resources of other neighbouring states.