Norwegian infrastructure company Bulk Infrastructure is proposing a direct fiber cable from Norway to Canada, routed around the United States entirely. The project, named Leif Erikson, remains a proposal, not a construction announcement.
Canada currently has relatively few direct international cable options that avoid U.S. routing, a structural gap the project is designed to address. That context, combined with growing government interest in infrastructure resilience, gives the proposal its strategic weight.
A Northern Route Built for Sovereignty
The system would span more than 6,500 kilometers of combined subsea and overland infrastructure between Norway and Montreal.
Bulk’s plan calls for roughly 4,600 kilometers of subsea cable running from southern Norway to Happy Valley-Goose Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador. A further terrestrial connection of approximately 1,900 kilometers would continue through Quebec to Montreal.
Feasibility work on the project began in 2021, when Bulk engaged WFN Strategies for technical planning, route hazards, economic modeling, and construction requirements. The 4,600-kilometer subsea figure reflects later reporting; Bulk’s 2021 announcement described approximately 4,200 kilometers, suggesting the estimate has been revised as planning progressed.
BGO, a Sun Life Financial subsidiary, reportedly holds around 65 percent of Bulk through two funds, with Canadian pension funds also invested. That existing stake does not, however, satisfy the project’s specific need: Bulk is actively seeking a Canadian majority partner for the Leif Erikson system itself.
The Gap Between Intent and a Cable in the Water
Financing, customers, permits, and route surveys all remain unresolved before construction can begin.
Expected costs exceed $620 million, financing is incomplete, and no customers have been confirmed. No construction date has been established.
Route surveys are unfinished. The Quebec overland section will require environmental approvals, land access agreements, and Indigenous community engagement along the corridor.
Canada and the EU may require regulatory or financial involvement depending on how the project structure develops, though the specific approval requirements have not been fully documented. Leif Erikson is a proposed cable, not one under construction.
Canada and the EU reportedly planned to endorse a statement on stronger digital links among Europe, Canada, and Asia at a Montreal meeting on October 29 and 30, though no official announcement confirming the event or its connection to Leif Erikson was available at the time of publication. A policy statement of intent differs fundamentally from a funding commitment or construction authorization tied to this specific project.
Sovereignty Has Limits at the Montreal Exchange
Bypassing U.S. territory on the cable route would not automatically mean bypassing American networks downstream.
Bulk describes the system as intended to serve artificial intelligence, hyperscale cloud, and telecommunications markets, powered entirely by renewable energy. Routing the cable around U.S. territory does not guarantee independence from American networks.
Traffic arriving in Montreal could still connect to U.S. cloud platforms, internet exchanges, and data centers. A bypass on the map does not automatically mean a bypass in practice.
