Military exercise underway in Nunavik, Canada

Another major military exercise is underway in the North, this time in Nunavik.

More than 200 reservists arrived in Salluit, Quebec, over the weekend. They're from the 35th Canadian Brigade Group in Quebec City.

Operation ‘Guerrier Nordique’ will have them skiing, building igloos, and doing some target practice.

Capt. Pierre Frenette with the 35th Canadian Brigade Group says the exercise is about learning northern survival skills, with help from Canadian Rangers.

"You cannot send anybody with no training to the Arctic, especially in the fall or the winter season. So the reservists are mandated to prepare a force of about a company size to be ready to be deployed to the Arctic, at any given time," he said.

Frenette says an Arctic-ready military becomes more important as the Northwest Passage opens to more traffic.

Last year, the 35th brigade did similar training exercises but further south on James Bay. Frenette says coming to Nunavik "cranked up the difficulty level".

Last month, another major military exercise - Arctic Ram - was held in Yellowknife. Source