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Manner of Speaking
Joined: 09 Jan 2003
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 Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:17 pm Post subject: Canada's Arctic Sovereignty |
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'Who's guarding our back door?'
ED STRUZIK FOR THE TORONTO STAR
In the fall of 1986, foreign policy parliamentarians criss-crossing the country kept hearing Canadians speak out about Arctic sovereignty. The Arctic has immense oil reserves and mineral wealth, but Canada has been slow to protect its northern sovereignty
Nov 18, 2007 04:30 AM
CHURCHILL, Man.–In the fall of 1998, a Russian IL-76 flew over the North Pole to the tiny sub-Arctic town of Churchill on the shores of western Hudson Bay. Mike Lawson, who was on airport duty, remembers it well.
"We don't get big Russian planes like that in Churchill," he says of the Il-76, an unforgettably large cargo plane that is even bigger than the C-130 Hercules used by the Canadian military. "In fact, in the 18 years I've been here, I've seen only one other like it."
Even more unusual was the pilot switching off his landing lights the moment he hit the tarmac – despite blowing snow and marginal visibility.
The crew members were spotted drinking beer at Gypsies, a popular restaurant, at 10 a.m. the next morning, but they didn't stay long. A Bell 206 helicopter landed at Churchill that day, and the Russians drove back to the airport, dropped the plane's cargo doors, loaded the helicopter and took off.
"Just like that," says Lawson. "No one was there to ask questions or inspect documents. It makes you wonder who's guarding our back door."
It turns out Canadian intelligence officials were aware of the flight of the IL-76 and monitored its return to a region of Russia known for organized crime. Whether they let the Russians arrive and depart unfettered for intelligence purposes, or whether they were powerless to intervene, no one will say.
For Col. Pierre Leblanc, commander of Canada's northern forces at the time, the significance of the incident became clear the following year when a Chinese research ship, armed with machine guns, showed up unannounced at the tiny Inuit community of Tuktoyaktuk, ostensibly to meet a Chinese tour guide who had claimed refugee status in 1993.
If Canada's back door is vulnerable to suspicious entries like these two incidents, Leblanc wondered, what might it be like in 20 or 30 years if climate change melts sea ice sufficiently to open the country's Arctic waterways. Could the military or the Canadian Coast Guard stop a rogue ship if it took a run through the Northwest Passage to save 9,000 kilometres of ocean travel? Or stop a tanker from taking a load of fresh water from an Arctic river or lake?
Could Transport or Environment Canada clean up an oil or fuel spill if a tanker like the Exxon Valdez was damaged by ice and spilled its cargo? And what about a ship that might be trying to smuggle in illegal immigrants?
To answer those questions, Leblanc set up the Arctic Security Interdepartmental Working group. Representatives from the military, the RCMP, CSIS, Foreign Affairs, Revenue Canada and Immigration meet biannually to assess Arctic security issues.
Eight years later, Leblanc, now retired but still very much involved in the sovereignty and security debate, is still looking for the answers to an issue that made headlines recently when Russians, Danes and Americans – all of whom dispute Canada's claims over the Arctic and its immense oil reserves and mineral wealth – made loud forays into Canadian waters.
For Leblanc, the unannounced passing of a U.S. submarine in 2006 through or very near Canadian waters – no one in Canada knows for certain– was proof that Canada does not have control over the Arctic.
http://www.thestar.com/ArcticInPeril/article/277429 |
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loose_ends
Joined: 23 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 7:53 pm Post subject: Re: Canada's Arctic Sovereignty |
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| Manner of Speaking wrote: |
| Quote: |
'Who's guarding our back door?'
ED STRUZIK FOR THE TORONTO STAR
In the fall of 1986, foreign policy parliamentarians criss-crossing the country kept hearing Canadians speak out about Arctic sovereignty. The Arctic has immense oil reserves and mineral wealth, but Canada has been slow to protect its northern sovereignty
Nov 18, 2007 04:30 AM
CHURCHILL, Man.�In the fall of 1998, a Russian IL-76 flew over the North Pole to the tiny sub-Arctic town of Churchill on the shores of western Hudson Bay. Mike Lawson, who was on airport duty, remembers it well.
"We don't get big Russian planes like that in Churchill," he says of the Il-76, an unforgettably large cargo plane that is even bigger than the C-130 Hercules used by the Canadian military. "In fact, in the 18 years I've been here, I've seen only one other like it."
Even more unusual was the pilot switching off his landing lights the moment he hit the tarmac � despite blowing snow and marginal visibility.
The crew members were spotted drinking beer at Gypsies, a popular restaurant, at 10 a.m. the next morning, but they didn't stay long. A Bell 206 helicopter landed at Churchill that day, and the Russians drove back to the airport, dropped the plane's cargo doors, loaded the helicopter and took off.
"Just like that," says Lawson. "No one was there to ask questions or inspect documents. It makes you wonder who's guarding our back door."
It turns out Canadian intelligence officials were aware of the flight of the IL-76 and monitored its return to a region of Russia known for organized crime. Whether they let the Russians arrive and depart unfettered for intelligence purposes, or whether they were powerless to intervene, no one will say.
For Col. Pierre Leblanc, commander of Canada's northern forces at the time, the significance of the incident became clear the following year when a Chinese research ship, armed with machine guns, showed up unannounced at the tiny Inuit community of Tuktoyaktuk, ostensibly to meet a Chinese tour guide who had claimed refugee status in 1993.
If Canada's back door is vulnerable to suspicious entries like these two incidents, Leblanc wondered, what might it be like in 20 or 30 years if climate change melts sea ice sufficiently to open the country's Arctic waterways. Could the military or the Canadian Coast Guard stop a rogue ship if it took a run through the Northwest Passage to save 9,000 kilometres of ocean travel? Or stop a tanker from taking a load of fresh water from an Arctic river or lake?
Could Transport or Environment Canada clean up an oil or fuel spill if a tanker like the Exxon Valdez was damaged by ice and spilled its cargo? And what about a ship that might be trying to smuggle in illegal immigrants?
To answer those questions, Leblanc set up the Arctic Security Interdepartmental Working group. Representatives from the military, the RCMP, CSIS, Foreign Affairs, Revenue Canada and Immigration meet biannually to assess Arctic security issues.
Eight years later, Leblanc, now retired but still very much involved in the sovereignty and security debate, is still looking for the answers to an issue that made headlines recently when Russians, Danes and Americans � all of whom dispute Canada's claims over the Arctic and its immense oil reserves and mineral wealth � made loud forays into Canadian waters.
For Leblanc, the unannounced passing of a U.S. submarine in 2006 through or very near Canadian waters � no one in Canada knows for certain� was proof that Canada does not have control over the Arctic.
http://www.thestar.com/ArcticInPeril/article/277429 |
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good find.
will Canada be next? |
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cbclark4
Joined: 20 Aug 2006
Location: Masan
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| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:15 pm Post subject: |
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| next what? |
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yawarakaijin
Joined: 08 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject: |
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| cbclark4 wrote: |
| next what? |
The next country, after America, to be taken over by secret armies funded by the U.N. Duh.
In America, they are going to come out from secret bunkers scattered around the country. Canada is going to be a straight up invasion from the artic. Damn they are smart! taking out our first line of defence during the initial assault wave. With all our secret Inuit commando divisions taken out early, we will have no defence! |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 9:33 pm Post subject: |
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| cbclark4 wrote: |
| next what? |
Next what Canada always does. We talk it over. Either that or Bomarc missiles. |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:38 am Post subject: |
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| mindmetoo wrote: |
| cbclark4 wrote: |
| next what? |
Next what Canada always does. We talk it over. Either that or Bomarc missiles. |
Thanks for reminding me of one BIG reason to be proud to be Canadian. |
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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 2:24 am Post subject: |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject: Re: Canada's Arctic Sovereignty |
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| Manner of Speaking wrote: |
"Just like that," says Lawson. "No one was there to ask questions or inspect documents.
It makes you wonder who's guarding our back door."
It turns out Canadian intelligence officials were aware of the flight of the IL-76 and monitored its return to a region of Russia known for organized crime. Whether they let the Russians arrive and depart unfettered for intelligence purposes, or whether they were powerless to intervene ... no one will say. |
That's pretty fuc*ed up.
They'd only be powerless to intervene if they were ordered to STAND DOWN.
Why has this NOT been discussed in Canada's Parliament? 
Professional criminals indeed. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 3:29 pm Post subject: Re: Canada's Arctic Sovereignty |
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| igotthisguitar wrote: |
| Why has this NOT been discussed in Canada's Parliament? |
This would not come up in Question Period? Please. The opposition will excoriate the government on the most minor point. I would think anything about this hitting the papers would generate discussion during Question Period. |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 12:00 am Post subject: |
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Neither the US, Denmark or Russia are threatening Canada's rights to exploit potential oil.gas in the Arctic. The newly claimed area by Russia is not an extension of Canada continental shelf. The only area where there is any disoute is in the US - Yukon area. The US claims an extension of the Alaska/Yukon border should go straight north and Canada says it should follow the parallel of longitude.
The dispute is whether the North West Passage, the route between the Islands is an international waterway or Canadian territory. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:48 am Post subject: |
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| contrarian wrote: |
| The dispute is whether the North West Passage, the route between the Islands is an international waterway or Canadian territory. |
It sure is within Canadian territory. However so is the Suez and Panama canal (within Egypt and Panama). You won't get far in the world if you declare those water ways restricted to open access. |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 3:54 am Post subject: |
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| A better example might be the straight between Singapore and Indonesia. |
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sojourner1
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Location: Where meggi swim and 2 wheeled tractors go sput put chug alugg pug pug
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:13 am Post subject: |
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| What if illegal aliens sought to get to North America by walking to Canada? I believe it could be done with the cold weather equipment and provisions and dogs to pull sleds. |
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contrarian
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Location: Nearly in NK
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| Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:01 am Post subject: |
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| Those SOuth Asians will do anyhting to get into Canada. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 1:47 am Post subject: |
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| What if illegal aliens sought to get to North America by walking to Canada? |
Possibly the poster means illegal aliens from inside the Earth (IGTG posted a map recently). |
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