Nunavut's lawmakers voiced concerns Thursday about the Canadian military's plans to buy a fleet of remote-controlled aircraft to patrol the Arctic.

CBC News learned earlier this week that the military plans to buy the unmanned aerial drones, which are controlled from the ground and do not require a pilot, within the next five years.

But MLAs with the Nunavut government said they weren't informed of those plans, and argued such aircraft won't work in the Arctic environment. The government plans to tell Ottawa of its concerns about the drones.

"I have no idea what these are," Premier Paul Okalilk told reporters Thursday, adding that he's not even aware of any Inuktitut term for that specific aircraft.

"It'd be great to know more about them, and especially for our hunters and for Nunavut residents that may see them."

'It's nonsense,' MLA charges

A military spokesman told CBC News that the drones — known as unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs — will fly day-long surveillance to monitor the Arctic for intruders.

UAVs will come equipped with cameras, radar, radios, electronic sensors, and possibly weapons.

But Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo said he doesn't want the drones in the Arctic, citing U.S. studies that say the aircraft are not suited for severe Arctic weather or its dark season.

"Nunavummiut want to be assured that our sovereignty is well-protected. However, this plan makes absolutely no sense. It's nonsense," Tootoo told the legislative assembly Thursday.

House leader Ed Picco agreed, adding that he spoke with some manufacturers of unmanned aerial drones this summer because of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's plans to use them in the North.

"I'm not in favour of the unmanned drones in five years' time. It's untested technology," Picco said.

"I'm suggesting to you that the federal government needs to do something right now. We have intrusions into the Canadian Arctic."

Picco added that news of the remote-controlled aircraft is another example of the federal government failing to keep Nunavut informed about its plans for the Arctic.

"You'd think there would be more an understanding from our federal partner that when we're talking about sovereignty issues, when we're talking about passage through the Northwest Passage, when we're making announcements on unmanned vehicles, that they would be keeping the government of Nunavut — and indeed, Nunavummiut — informed," he said.

Picco said he will write to Ottawa on behalf of the government to suggest a boost in manned surveillance and other technology.