Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand was in Trenton and unveiled major new details of a $4.9-billion plan to upgrade Canada’s NORAD continental defence systems amid what she described as “new threats” from autocratic regimes and new weapons being developed by other countries.

Anand said this is the most significant upgrade to NORAD from a Canadian perspective in almost four decades.

The $4.9 billion will be spent over the coming six years but the funding is part of a longer-term plan that will see the government spend $40 billion over the next 20 years to beef up continental defence.

It will include plans to build new radar networks to detect threats coming over the Arctic, as well as command and control systems, and advanced air-to-air missiles.

The announcement comes amid numerous warnings from U-S and Canadian military officials and experts that NORAD is badly showing its age.