Canada Eyes a Second Expedition to Antarctica

Canada is preparing for a second expedition to Antarctica in 2026, with the country expanding its research interests in the region. Early this year, Canada celebrated its first-ever naval deployment to Antarctica aboard the vessel HMCS Margaret Brooke. The prospect of a second expedition hopes to build on the experience of the inaugural deployment.

Speaking to the national broadcaster CBC news, Royal Canadian Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee confirmed that the navy is leading planning for the second expedition. The plan is to have Canadian researchers join Chile’s Antarctic expedition in spring next year. But the expedition is scheduled to be shorter, lasting around two weeks onboard a Chilean ship.

Antarctic expeditions are geared towards expanding Canada’s presence and diplomacy with South American navies. While the Antarctic Treaty prohibits military operations in the region, the Canadian Navy has said it could leverage science diplomacy to get hands-on experience on Antarctica.

“We have interest in what’s happening at both poles in terms of climate change, and the impact that’s having. Although plans are not finalized, we are excited at the prospect of a second expedition to Antarctica,” said Topshee.

At a conference in Calgary last week organized by the research NGO ArcticNet, Canadian polar scientists reflected on milestones achieved during the Canadian Antarctic Research Expedition (CARE 2025). Natural Resources Canada planned the expedition, bringing together 15 scientists to study impacts of climate change in Antarctica.

Ocean Networks Canada, under the University of Victoria, which participated in CARE 2025, will in coming months publicly release research findings from the expedition. However, at the Calgary polar conference, some researchers involved in CARE 2025 revealed their preliminary results. Sandy Steffen, a researcher with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said some samples showed continued build-up of microplastics in Antarctica. While the contaminant levels were low overall, the microplastics in collected water samples were slightly higher than levels seen in the Canadian Arctic.