Russia ignores Canada in the Arctic ("cyberpresse.ca", Canada)
In less than a year, Russia twice warned the Canadian Department of Transportation that rocket debris could end up in Canadian waters: as follows from Canadian Foreign Ministry documents, to which La Presse had access under the information law, something like this happened in October 2009.
“Canada expressed its own concern to the Russian authorities. Canada hopes that countries will be able to quickly find a solution that will suit both of them, ”the message reads for Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon.
According to the representative of the Ministry, Claude Rochon, in May, Canada expressed its concern to the Japanese authorities, but the launch of the rocket still took place on June 2.
“With regard to this particular case, since we do not have information that would indicate that there was an encroachment on Canadian property, we continue to closely monitor the situation,” said Rochon.
It was not possible to find out on how many notices for aviation personnel (NOTAM) from the Russian side were received by the Canadian Ministry of Transport in recent years.
According to the Deputy Chairman of the NPD (New Democratic Party) party, Thomas Mülkär, these two incidents show that the crusade launched by conservatives led by Stephen Harper in order to enforce Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic does not in any way affect such countries like Russia.
“As for the sovereignty of Canada in the Arctic, I believe that there is a clear problem here. Obviously, the Russians want to test our ability to uphold our own interests. Therefore, we ask ourselves what the government, under the leadership of the Conservatives, is doing in this area, ”said Mülcher.
Harper Government Keystone
The Harper government has made the protection of Canada’s sovereignty a cornerstone of its policy in the northern Arctic territories. During the 2006 election, the conservative party promised to acquire three large icebreakers with equipment to patrol the Arctic Ocean. But this promise has been changed, and now Ottawa is going to acquire smaller-scale patrol ships. Nevertheless, the promise to build a port and training base is still in force.
Since coming to power, Harper has been visiting the region every year to protect Canada’s sovereignty.
In recent years, relations between Canada and Russia have been exacerbated more than once. A few months ago, Defense Secretary Peter McKay spoke sharply about Moscow after Russian bombers flew over the Arctic. Canada raised CF-18 aircraft to ensure that the Russians did not invade Canadian airspace.
“We will protect our airspace. We will respond whenever the Russians penetrate in order to violate the inviolability of Canada’s borders, ”said McKay.
The vast natural resources of the Arctic cannot be divided by the neighboring countries (Canada, USA, Russia, Norway, Denmark). According to the American Institute of Geological Surveillance, 13% undiscovered world oil reserves and 30% gas reserves may be in the region. In September, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called on the Arctic neighbors to cooperate so that this region rich in hydrocarbons would remain a “zone of peace.”
- Joël-Denis Bellavance
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