Randy Boswell/Canwest News Service
Canada has clashed rhetorically several times with Moscow in recent years over the flight of Russian bombers near Canadian airspace, a high-profile flag-planting by a Russian submarine on the North Pole seabed, and a planned Russian paratrooper drop at the North Pole in 2010.
Photograph by: Nathan Vanderklippe, Edmonton Journal
Singling out Russia as a thorn in Canada’s side when it comes to Arctic sovereignty, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon warned the world on Monday that this country will respond “firmly” when other nations “push the envelope” with military exercises or other provocative actions anywhere along Canada’s northern frontier.
Indicating the Conservative government’s intent to send “a clear message to the world,” Cannon said Canada plans to work co-operatively with other Arctic nations but added: “Make no mistake . . . our government does, and always will, stand up for our interests and ownership over the Arctic.”
In a Toronto speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Cannon said the country’s future as an “energy superpower” is closely tied to potentially rich deposits of Arctic oil and gas on land and seabed.
“This is why we react so strongly when other nations, like Russia, engage in exercises and other activities that appear to challenge our security in the North and undermine the co-operative relationships that we have built,” Cannon stated.
“Many states and institutions that have historically not paid attention to the Arctic are now turning their attention there,” he added. “We have seen various actions and initiatives that demonstrate a lack of sensitivity to the interests and perspectives of the Arctic peoples and states. Canada will continue to address these situations firmly.”
Cannon’s comments follow an Ottawa Citizen report earlier this month highlighting the surfacing of a U.S. navy submarine near the North Pole and warnings from Arctic security expert Rob Huebert about increased military activity throughout the circumpolar world.
Canada has clashed rhetorically several times with Moscow in recent years over the flight of Russian bombers near Canadian airspace, a high-profile flag-planting by a Russian submarine on the North Pole seabed, and a planned Russian paratrooper drop at the North Pole in 2010.
Cannon’s speech also comes on the eve of a scheduled House of Commons debate this week over a controversial proposal to rename the Northwest Passage the “Canadian Northwest Passage” to symbolically solidify the country’s control over the disputed waterway.
Conservative MP Daryl Kramp’s motion to rename the passage — initially backed by opposition critics and headed for what appeared to be prompt approval — has become more complicated after criticism from scholars and the insistence by Nunavut’s main land-claim agency that an Inuktitut name for the sea route — “Tallurutik” — better reflects the historic and ongoing Inuit use of the waters between Canada’s Arctic islands.
University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers has argued that Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage is secure and that — despite U.S. claims it is an “international strait” rather than part of Canada’s “internal waters” — adding “Canadian” to the name would only highlight lingering uncertainty about this country’s legal position.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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Canada vows ‘firm’ defence of Arctic border
Randy Boswell/Canwest News Service
Canada has clashed rhetorically several times with Moscow in recent years over the flight of Russian bombers near Canadian airspace, a high-profile flag-planting by a Russian submarine on the North Pole seabed, and a planned Russian paratrooper drop at the North Pole in 2010.
Photograph by: Nathan Vanderklippe, Edmonton Journal
Singling out Russia as a thorn in Canada’s side when it comes to Arctic sovereignty, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon warned the world on Monday that this country will respond “firmly” when other nations “push the envelope” with military exercises or other provocative actions anywhere along Canada’s northern frontier.
Indicating the Conservative government’s intent to send “a clear message to the world,” Cannon said Canada plans to work co-operatively with other Arctic nations but added: “Make no mistake . . . our government does, and always will, stand up for our interests and ownership over the Arctic.”
In a Toronto speech to the Economic Club of Canada, Cannon said the country’s future as an “energy superpower” is closely tied to potentially rich deposits of Arctic oil and gas on land and seabed.
“This is why we react so strongly when other nations, like Russia, engage in exercises and other activities that appear to challenge our security in the North and undermine the co-operative relationships that we have built,” Cannon stated.
“Many states and institutions that have historically not paid attention to the Arctic are now turning their attention there,” he added. “We have seen various actions and initiatives that demonstrate a lack of sensitivity to the interests and perspectives of the Arctic peoples and states. Canada will continue to address these situations firmly.”
Cannon’s comments follow an Ottawa Citizen report earlier this month highlighting the surfacing of a U.S. navy submarine near the North Pole and warnings from Arctic security expert Rob Huebert about increased military activity throughout the circumpolar world.
Canada has clashed rhetorically several times with Moscow in recent years over the flight of Russian bombers near Canadian airspace, a high-profile flag-planting by a Russian submarine on the North Pole seabed, and a planned Russian paratrooper drop at the North Pole in 2010.
Cannon’s speech also comes on the eve of a scheduled House of Commons debate this week over a controversial proposal to rename the Northwest Passage the “Canadian Northwest Passage” to symbolically solidify the country’s control over the disputed waterway.
Conservative MP Daryl Kramp’s motion to rename the passage — initially backed by opposition critics and headed for what appeared to be prompt approval — has become more complicated after criticism from scholars and the insistence by Nunavut’s main land-claim agency that an Inuktitut name for the sea route — “Tallurutik” — better reflects the historic and ongoing Inuit use of the waters between Canada’s Arctic islands.
University of British Columbia professor Michael Byers has argued that Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage is secure and that — despite U.S. claims it is an “international strait” rather than part of Canada’s “internal waters” — adding “Canadian” to the name would only highlight lingering uncertainty about this country’s legal position.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service