EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is calling for a joint Canada-U.S. Norad military base in Northern Canada, expanding the organization’s aerospace and maritime defence efforts.

In a Thursday statement, Smith said she pitched the idea at a meeting on Wednesday with fellow premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“To further bolster Canada-U.S. Arctic security, I asked my provincial and federal counterparts in the first ministers’ meeting to consider establishing a joint Canada-U.S. Norad region base in Northern Canada, similar to the Canadian Norad Region (CANR) headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba,” she wrote.