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November 24th (Toronto Sun) - Canada remains ready to defend its Arctic border against nations that would "push the envelope," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says.
Although scientists are still mapping the country's icy and watery northern limits, an exercise that won't be complete until 2013, Cannon said yesterday Canada takes its responsibility for its Arctic lands and water seriously.
"We will, as well, continue to work with allies, such as the United States, on areas of shared interests and will respond appropriately when other nations push the envelope when it comes to Canada's Arctic."
The Harper government released its Northern Strategy last August, built around four "pillars" -- sovereignty, economic and social development, environmental protection, and northern governance.
But it was the issue of sovereignty that Cannon returned to again and again, assuring the audience that the government would act "firmly" against other nations who fail to respect the border.
"The Canadian Forces have a real role to play in defending our sovereignty in the North," he said.
Key to the Canadian position is the scientific mapping of the region, to be tabled in 2013.
But it's self-evident that the "Canadian Northwest Passage" is within the country's borders, despite the claims of other countries that are interested in its possibilities as an alternative shipping route, Cannon said.
He suggested the country had time to lay scientific claim to the region because scientists have told him that as the ice melts in the polar region it's flowing toward the Northwest Passage, and it's unlikely to be fully operational for 40 to 60 years.
"That is something that a lot of Canadians are not aware of," he said.
(Reporting by Antonella Artuso)
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