Arctic Defence

Strong words. There were equally strong, almost defiant words from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Iqaluit, a week ago today, when he said "Canada intends to enforce its rights under the law of the sea" treaty. He called on all governments to sign the treaty, and accused previous Canadian governments of failing to enforce Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic and provide enough resources to monitor, patrol and protect Canada's Arctic waters. "We always need to know who is in our waters and why they're there," he said. "We must be certain that everyone who enters our waters respects our laws and regulations, particularly those that protect the fragile Arctic environment." Over the last week, Harper travelled to Iqaluit, Alert, Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and the Jericho diamond mine, talking about strengthening defence, encouraging tourism, and the fledgling diamond industry. But most dramatic — and potentially most expensive — was his vow to define, enforce and defend Canada's sovereignty over Arctic waters. http://tinyurl.com/rjh9b [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on August 21, 2006]

Note: http://tinyurl.com/rjh9b