44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 28, 2022 11:00AM
- Feb/28/22 2:33:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for raising the issue of Arctic sovereignty, which our government takes extremely seriously.
We are making landmark investments in this area, conducting joint exercises in the Arctic, purchasing six Arctic offshore patrol ships and enhancing surveillance. We will remain firm and unwavering in the protection of our Arctic, including in modernizing NORAD.
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- Feb/28/22 8:31:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I note the report I referenced in my remarks, and I invite the hon. member to consult the report that our committee did in 2019: “Nation-Building at Home, Vigilance Beyond: Preparing for the Coming Decades in the Arctic”.
Climate change is part of preparing for the Arctic. In fact, at the request of the Conservatives, that foreign affairs report was the first report that a parliamentary committee prepared in the indigenous languages of the partners we met with on the ground. That was a Conservative request, because the resilience and vigilance we need to build in our Arctic are about not only the rangers for security, but also the impact of climate change, particularly on traditional ways of life.
The challenge I have with the government is that it will sometimes substitute these notions and ignore the hard-and-fast statecraft mechanisms we should have. The government completely ignored the need for us to be full partners in NORAD. That includes ballistic missile defence, and it means asserting our sovereignty in the Arctic and supplying ships to the Canadian Armed Forces. We have to look at the world the way it is, and that is what I hope tonight's debate can do. Let us make sure that Canada helps our friends in Ukraine, but let us also make sure we are prepared at home.
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- Feb/28/22 9:52:10 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I had the opportunity, on the European Union friendship committee we have in Parliament, to spend a few years on the Standing Committee of the Parliamentarians of the Arctic Region. My colleague mentioned the Arctic sovereignty we have as a neighbour of Russia in our north, and I wonder if she could elaborate a bit more in regard to the issues around the Arctic and our independence and making sure we stand our ground in that area.
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- Feb/28/22 9:52:45 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, on both sides of the aisle, everybody is talking about a need for NORAD modernization. I do not think that is news. What needs to be done is like the expression “use it or lose it”. As far as China and Russia are concerned, they have been very clear that they want to be the powers in the Arctic, whereas Canada believes we should be standing up for our Arctic, and that means all of Canadian sovereignty. We simply have to do more.
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- Feb/28/22 11:04:36 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what I think is not viable is having Europe dependent on Russian gas and having our country's own sovereignty and security at the whim of 40 nuclear-powered weaponized icebreakers. I do not really care about the cost. We need to ensure that the security of Canada is first and foremost the priority of the federal government.
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- Feb/28/22 11:11:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I just want to congratulate my colleague on his excellent speech this evening. I asked other members of the House tonight about the issue of Canadian sovereignty in our Arctic. I know that my colleague, coming from Winnipeg, has his heart and soul in that, with the research that we have at the University of Manitoba.
I wonder if he would elaborate on the fact that we are a neighbour to Russia and what we could do to defend ourselves in that area.
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