it figures that mini-bush is incapable of dealing with complex social issues
like the insite facility and would prefer to start a war with Denmark...
kinda reminds me of two effeminate men slapping each other's shoulders while
proving themselves to be testosterone deficient...
"Greg Carr" <gregpcarr@yahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:1155422256.850083.126110@75g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
> Harper says stronger presence needed to defend Arctic sovereignty
> 32 minutes ago
>
> By Dene Moore
>
> IQALUIT, Nunavut (CP) - There is vast economic potential in the Far
> North and enforcing Canadian sovereignty in the rich offshore waters of
> the Arctic is a priority, says Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
>
> While some countries, most notably the United States, do not recognize
> that right, Harper promised during his first visit to the North that
> Canada will enforce and defend its sovereignty in Arctic waters.
>
> "This will become more important in the decades to come because
> northern oil and gas, minerals and other resources of the northern
> frontier will become ever more valuable," Harper told hundreds of
> residents, politicians and military personnel who came out to greet him
> at the Nunavut legislature on Saturday.
>
> Some scientists believe that the effects of climate change could open
> the Northwest Passage, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, to
> year-round shipping in as little as a decade.
>
> Tiny, barren Hans Island in the Arctic Ocean has already been the
> subject of a diplomatic scuffle with Denmark, as nations awaken to the
> economic potential of the region.
>
> "The economics and the strategic value of northern resource development
> are growing more attractive and critical to our nation," Harper said.
>
> "And trust me, it's not only Canadians who are noticing. It's no
> exaggeration to say that the need to assert our sovereignty and take
> action to protect our territorial integrity in the Arctic has never
> been more urgent."
>
> A major military operation just finished in the Beaufort Sea, while a
> joint military exercise is currently underway to the northernmost
> reaches of Canada's claimed 200-nautical-mile - or 370-kilometre -
> exclusive economic zone in the eastern Arctic.
>
> "All along the border our jurisdiction extends outwards 200 miles into
> the surrounding sea, just as it does along the Atlantic and Pacific
> coasts. No more and no less," Harper said.
>
> To that end, Harper promised an increased military presence in the
> North, as well as continued lobbying of the U.S. and other nations that
> have not yet ratified the international treaty that recognizes the
> 200-mile economic zone.
>
> "We think we can make a strong case to the United States that Canada
> asserting fully its sovereignty is actually in the interests of the
> entire international community, including the United States itself,"
> Harper told reporters.
>
> "In the meantime we continue to take steps to visibly protect and
> defend our sovereignty in the Canadian Arctic."
>
> Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik welcomed Harper's visit - and his promise
> of more federal spending.
>
> Harper's government has already made investments addressing the housing
> and social concerns of northern residents.
>
> "Our occupancy and use of the land and waters reinforces daily Canada's
> claim of Arctic sovereignty," Okalik said. "Inuit have lived here for
> many millennia."
>
> But there was no word on the location of a promised deep-sea port that
> has been the subject of intense lobbying by all three territorial
> governments.
>
> Duane Smith, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, also welcomed
> Harper's promise to assert sovereignty over Arctic waters.
>
> "Climate change is easing shipping access to the Northwest Passage and
> the Arctic Ocean, and is promoting further exploration for oil, gas,
> and minerals in the North," Smith said in a statement.
>
> The Arctic Council, comprised of eight northern nations including
> Canada, is currently assessing the level of shipping that can be
> expected in the coming decades.
>
> The report "will illustrate the nature and potential magnitude of the
> threat to Canada's Arctic sovereignty by foreign shipping," Smith said.
> The Prime Minister was to visit the military base in Alert, Nunavut on
> Sunday before heading to Yellowknife and Whitehorse later in the week.
>
>
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/12082006/2/national-harper-says-stronger-presence-needed-defend-arctic-sovereignty.html
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Good to see PM Harper is going to assert sovereignty in the Arctic
> against encroachment by the Danes and the desires of the US. Hans
> Island belongs to Canada and the Danes should relinquish all claim to
> it, if for no other reason than gratitude to the sacrifice that Cdn
> troops made in WW2 to help liberate Europe including Denmark and caring
> for the Danish royal family in exile in Canada.
>
> Cdns should boycott all Danish companies including A.P. Moller, Reimer
> (trucking), Hudd Distribution, P&O Nedlloyd, Carlsberg (beer) and
> Maersk Sealand until the Danish govt recognizes Cdn control over Hans
> Island. At least a company of troops should be stationed at Hans Island
> full time until Denmark renounces its wrongful claim.
>
> One of the best things Liberal leader Bill Graham ever did was to tour
> the island that Denmark illegally covets.
>