Canol was highly controversial despite the general state of wartime secrecy and expediency. The U.S. Army proceeded with the construction of roads and airfields in the Mackenzie Basin without obtaining clearance from Ottawa or Washington. The Canadian government was more absorbed with the war overseas than with events in the Northwest. Some Canadian officials suspected that the development of roads, airports and oil resources were for postwar American commercial use. Canada was placed in an awkward position as all the northern projects were being financed by the United States to secure the defence of North America.