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Results: 1 - 15 of 24
View Pierre Paul-Hus Profile
CPC (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister.
I would first like to say that I welcomed your opening remarks. I liked what you said, even if it sometimes seemed not to correspond entirely to the response of the Prime Minister or the government. In any event, it is a good start, because what you said is what we are actually seeing at present when it comes to China.
Obviously, the Chinese people, and Asian people in general, are not who we are talking about, since our comments are always directed at the regime.
On that point, the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Sajjan, came to see us a few weeks ago, and there was a comprehension problem regarding the geopolitical situation. I would therefore like to come back to the questions about the security and defence of Canada in geographic terms.
At present, China considers itself to be a near-Arctic region. Officially, is China a territory that is considered to be part of the Arctic region as a whole?
View Marc Garneau Profile
Lib. (QC)
The quick answer is no, because China is not one of the eight countries that belong to the Arctic Council. However, like a lot of other countries, China wants to eventually be able to navigate in the polar region if conditions permit.
That is a reality we have to deal with, of course.
View Pierre Paul-Hus Profile
CPC (QC)
Your answer relates exactly to my next question.
The polar silk road was announced by Beijing in 2018. I imagine that our American colleagues must have a lot of concerns about that.
How is Canada positioning itself regarding that probable route?
View Marc Garneau Profile
Lib. (QC)
We are adopting the same approach with all countries that want to navigate in the Canadian Arctic. If they are to do so, they must respect our sovereignty and comply with the environmental requirements we will impose on all countries.
View Pierre Paul-Hus Profile
CPC (QC)
Quite a few years ago, in 2008, Mr. Harper wanted to really position the border, in geostrategic terms, for Canada.
Are we able to clearly establish the borders of Canada in the Arctic at present?
View Marc Garneau Profile
Lib. (QC)
That is a question that is currently being examined by an international tribunal. A number of countries are affected, including the United States, Denmark, Russia and Canada. In some cases, the territories that are claimed overlap.
The decision is going to have to be made by an international tribunal. It will not be made tomorrow; it will be made several years from now.
View Pierre Paul-Hus Profile
CPC (QC)
The North Atlantic Council can have more extensive discussions on NATO's diplomatic capacity and the fact that it is Canada's ally. I was speaking to the minister earlier about the importance of the Northwest Passage to Canada.
We rely heavily on our American partners, but I would think that, as partners of the alliance, NATO member countries in Europe could also bring pressure to bear to assist us.
Mr. Costello, are NATO countries reluctant to discuss Canada's north, or is it something they talk about?
Daniel Costello
View Daniel Costello Profile
Daniel Costello
2021-06-07 20:30
Thank you for your question, Mr. Paul‑Hus.
Naturally, the alliance discusses anything involving security threats or issues, including the Far North. A number of our allies in NATO belong to the Arctic Council and are, themselves, part of the Arctic region. I would say that, first and foremost, the NATO alliance is focused on defending shared values.
View Stéphane Bergeron Profile
BQ (QC)
Okay.
A few moments ago, Colonel Siromakha was talking about supply routes in the Arctic. Moreover, in the document you submitted to us, I found that a lot of emphasis was placed on the Arctic situation. I wondered whether there is a parallel between the fact that troops are massed on the Ukrainian border and the fact that, in a way, troops are also massed on the Canadian border in the Arctic. Or is Ukraine actually concerned about what is happening in the Arctic?
I think the colonel was giving us a good indication of what the real concerns are. Perhaps he would like to follow up on what he was saying a few moments ago.
Dr. Fry was also talking about the importance of the Arctic and what Russia is doing there.
Viktor Siromakha
View Viktor Siromakha Profile
Viktor Siromakha
2021-06-01 16:46
Ambassador, if I may....
Thank you very much for your question.
I would like to emphasize that the Arctic is the new theatre of operations for Russia. For example, at the moment, there are more than 90,000 troops on the border with Ukraine. Also, the Russian fleet is in the Arctic. On the border of Ukraine, the Russians have sent more than 54 battalions. In April 2019, the Russians sent all the ships in their northern fleet to the Arctic.
Simultaneously with the buildup on the frontier with Ukraine, we saw huge development in the Arctic. For instance, in the presentation you can see the nice picture of three Russian submarines at the northern pole. I would say that's a brilliant indication of how Russians have shown their capacity and the importance of their nuclear assets in the region. For instance, on April 19 they sent all their fleet assets from their respective bases to the respective areas in the Arctic Ocean.
For a brilliant explanation of what is going on in the Arctic, there's an article by Marcus Kolga called “Winter is coming to Canada's North”. Maclean's magazine published this article recently. Mr. Kolga explained why Russian has started all these activities in the north, with the assessment that Foreign Minister Lavrov recently announced that all the oil and gas and minerals under the ice will now be the property of Russia. Definitely, at 200 nautical miles, that's the exclusive zone of Canada, but Russia's ambitions are at the edge of this zone, so this—
View Lloyd Longfield Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Lloyd Longfield Profile
2021-05-12 18:38
Thank you.
In the estimates, you mentioned Eureka. I'm looking at the contributions for the World Meteorological Organization and also the support for predicting weather and environmental conditions.
I was fortunate to visit your Environment and Climate Change site up in Eureka and saw the work they were doing in collaboration with international partners. Canada has an arctic footprint. Most of the world knows that, but I think we take that for granted.
In the climate change research that's going on in the Arctic and with all the countries that are using Canada as a spot to also do research, there is a lot of horizontal work between your department and other departments. You mentioned the runway work. We also have defences up there. The Department of National Defence has a small presence up there, with some communications networks.
Can you comment on the importance of continuing the investments in the Arctic, please?
Christine Hogan
View Christine Hogan Profile
Christine Hogan
2021-05-12 18:39
Well, thank you very much for that. Thank you for noting that the main estimates include our assessed contributions to the World Meteorological Organization. Canada is a very valued international collaborator and partner in meteorological matters and, of course, as you well know, on climate science and also other atmospheric science areas. Eureka is a very important resource, as is our centre in Alert, Nunavut, which is the most northern research facility of its kind.
Of course, we do a lot of work around long-term measurement of greenhouse gases, short-lived climate pollutants, persistent organic pollutants and ozone. The assets we have in the north are important, and it's critically important that we continue to invest in those, as is featured in the estimates before you.
View Lloyd Longfield Profile
Lib. (ON)
View Lloyd Longfield Profile
2021-05-12 18:40
Thank you.
In sharing the infrastructure with universities and with researchers, there's quite the collaboration that goes on there. I mean, congratulations. I was blown away when I went up there, but I also saw it can be ignored because it's in the high Arctic—out of sight, out of mind. It's absolutely critical for the global fight on climate change.
View Pierre Paul-Hus Profile
CPC (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good evening, Mr. Minister. In your presentation, you mentioned Canada's efforts abroad to support the sovereignty of various countries. That's great, but here at home, from the beginning, we've been talking a lot about Chinese interference in the territory. In 2015, the communist government designated the polar region, the deep seabed and outer space as China's new strategic frontiers and noted that they were rich in opportunity. The Pentagon issued a report [Technical difficulty—Editor] warning that the Chinese government was mapping the Arctic seabed.
Have you been made aware of Chinese submarines in the Canadian Arctic?
View Harjit S. Sajjan Profile
Lib. (BC)
Mr. Chair, one thing I can assure the member is that when it comes to China or any other nation that works up in the north, we take our sovereignty very seriously. We closely monitor activities, and we have a very strong presence in the area when it's needed as well. Obviously, I can't get into more detail than this.
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