Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon says Canada won't be "bullied" by a resurgent Russia, which has been flexing its muscle in the Arctic recently.
Cannon was responding to reports that Moscow will create a special military force dedicated to patrolling and protecting Russia's Arctic interests.
Russia has also announced plans to create a new fleet of high-powered, nuclear-armed submarines which could be used to patrol the strategic area.
But Cannon stressed Friday that Canada won't back down in the face of a growing Russian presence in the region.
Still, Cannon added that the government takes Canada's Arctic sovereignty very seriously and is looking forward to working with neighbouring countries on environmental and economic issues.
The Arctic seabed holds about 90 billion barrels of oil, which will become increasingly accessible as climate change melts the region's heavy ice, scientists believe.
Russia and Canada faced off earlier this year after Canadian Forces jets were scrambled to intercept a pair of long-range Russian bombers which were flying near Canadian airspace.
But the two northern nations aren't the only countries vying for supremacy in the resource-rich region: Nordic European countries and the U.S. are also pushing for dominance.
Cannon will meet with his Russian counterpart next week for face-to-face talks.
Vladimir Lapshin, a Russian diplomat, told Â鶹´«Ã½net that Moscow has maintained a military and economic presence in the Arctic "for many years.
"There are cities, there are factories, there are military personnel and it's nothing extraordinary," he said, adding that Russia's main goal is to develop and strengthen the region's economic potential.
"The strategy of Russian policy is quite clear about this -- we speak to the international law and we've got to co-operate with others in the north, Canada in particular," he said, downplaying the likelihood of a military confrontation.
"We would like to maintain it as a zone of peace" he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
