Circumpolar Newsings
Assert Arctic sovereignty or lose it, says navy commander 
(Adam Huras/New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, 10 November 2009) -- MONCTON, N.B. - The former commanding officer of HMCS Toronto said Monday that Arctic sovereignty is a matter of use it or lose it—and Canada has been busy using it. In a speech to local Rotarians, Commander Alex Grant said that if the nation simply stands by and watches, it could lose rich natural resources which are becoming unlocked with global warming. “We are claiming it as sovereign territory,” he said. “If we are claiming it as sovereign we have to be able to police it.” Grant has taken the HMCS Toronto north of 60 twice in the last two years. His last mission in August included a demonstration designed to remind other Arctic nations that Canada intends to have a visible presence in the North. Standing next to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defence Minister Peter MacKay on the deck of the frigate, a trio of CF-18 Hornets thundered by in a low-level flyby with the submarine HMCS Corner Brook and the coast guard’s CCGS Pierre Radisson sat in the background of Frobisher Bay. The photo op. was to show the country’s commitment, according to Grant. More than 700 soldiers, sailors, and air force personnel participated in the month-long exercise as part of annual military operation known as Operation Nanook.
Posted 10 November 2009; 3:17:19 PM. Permalink
Tagged: Autonomy, Sovereignty and Politics, Canada, Circumpolar News, International, November09
email to: agra...@yukoncollege.yk.ca
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