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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 12

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2021 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer (Prince George—Peace River—Northern Rockies, CPC)
  • Dec/7/21 9:48:28 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I will splitting my time tonight with the member for Calgary Nose Hill. It is about priorities, and Arctic sovereignty is a priority for our party. We talked about a recent buildup of Russian presence in eastern Europe tonight, as was mentioned by my colleagues from Wellington—Halton Hills and Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, but we have also seen a rise in Russian ambitions in the Arctic, as Marcus Kolga mentioned in a recent article. He wrote: Over the past few weeks, the Russian president’s ambitions have converged in the Arctic, challenging Canadian and allied interests and dropping the threat of conflict with the Kremlin directly on our northern shores. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, recently warned Canada and other Western allies that all the resources beneath the melting ice in the Arctic Sea belong to the Russian government. Does the minister recognize our claims to the Arctic and the Arctic border and refute the Russian claims?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:50:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic physically?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:50:44 p.m.
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Madam Chair, one thing I will say about our previous Conservative government is that we showed up. Our previous Conservative prime minister went to the Arctic many times to assert our presence physically in the Arctic. What is the Minister of Foreign Affairs doing to assert Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic diplomatically?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:51:14 p.m.
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Madam Chair, to which countries specifically has the minister reached out to assert our claims?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:51:33 p.m.
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Madam Chair, frankly, talk is cheap. My colleague from Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman stated in a recent article: “The Russian government is opening military bases in the Arctic and the Chinese Communist regime is expanding its Arctic naval fleet beyond the capabilities of Canada and the United States combined,”.... The article continues: [The member] slammed the federal government’s “naïve and dangerous approach to Arctic sovereignty,” accusing the government of mismanaging the Nanisivik project, which he says remains vital to Canada’s security in the Far North. Has the minister spoken with the Russian and Chinese foreign ministers to discuss their growing presence in the Arctic?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:52:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister just referred to speaking with her Russian counterpart, but I have not heard about her Chinese counterpart. When will that be?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:53:09 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we are not only being affected by our Russian and Chinese colleagues across the way, it is also affecting our relationship with our North American colleagues, namely the U.S. In another article, dated December 1, 2021, U.S. General Glen VanHerck stated: The commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says China and Russia are developing new ways to attack the continent as he waits for political direction to modernize NORAD’s outdated early-warning system. What message does the minister think it sends to our allies when the government continues to not treat our Arctic border seriously?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:54:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, six years is a long time. If it is a priority, why has the government not got to it sooner? The minister is talking about getting to it. When is she going to actually do it?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:54:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, in an interview, a senior Canadian Armed Forces officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the changes were long overdue. The significance of this announcement is just another example of Canada's irrelevance internationally. Does the minister think we are irrelevant internationally?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:55:20 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the minister going to do to make Canada relevant again in the Arctic?
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Context: House Hansard - 12 - Dec/7/21
Mr. Bob Zimmer
  • Dec/7/21 9:55:37 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have heard a lot of words from the minister. We have not heard once about whether she has actually shown up in the Arctic and asserted our sovereignty as a minister. When will she do that? I think all Canadians are expecting her to do it soon.
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