Nunavut, Nunavik MPs want Biden to address Arctic security in visit
U.S. president will be in Ottawa on Thursday, Friday for talks with Trudeau
A Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter jet sits in a hangar in Iqaluit in this 2020 file photo. The MPs from Nunavik and Nunavut hope U.S. President Joe Biden will address Arctic security when he visits Ottawa this week. (File photo by Dustin Patar)
MPs from Nunavut and Nunavik say they hope U.S. President Joe Biden addresses Arctic security during his first trip to Canada this week.
Biden will be in Ottawa on Thursday and Friday. He will be greeted at the airport by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and address Parliament.
Sylvie Bérube, the Bloc Quebecois MP for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, touched on Arctic defence as one of the issues she’s looking forward hearing Biden speak on.
Last week, security and sovereignty dominated the schedule of the House of Commons Indigenous and Northern Affairs committee’s visit to the North, which Bérubé took part.
In a French interview, she said her party’s leader, Yves-François Blanchet, has a list of priorities for the presidential visit.
Over the past week, Blanchet has used his time in the House of Commons to press the Liberal government on allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and democracies around the world, as well as immigration and national security.
“It’s certain that there are many things concerning the Arctic, the defence of the Arctic,” Bérubé told Nunatsiaq News. “We’ll see the discussion he has.”
Lori Idlout, the MP for Nunavut, said Arctic security is the main issue she hopes Biden will address.
Specifically, she wants Biden to commit to supporting improvements to North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, warning systems. She said that would enable Canadian Rangers to play a more active role in securing the North.
“I hope that investments will be made for people that live in the Arctic, like the Canadian Rangers, the search and rescue teams,” Idlout said.
“They want to actively be a part of the Arctic sovereignty and in order to do that, as I said, they need to have the proper resources to be able to be fully engaged.”
The picture shows the sign that says “no pictures”
It appears Lori is expecting the US to foot the bill for equipment, to outfit the Rangers? Am I reading this correctly?
You might the highly trained, ultra fit, special forces that hold occasional meetings to eat country food (debriefs) and go on hunting trips (special operations) together?
How about pave some runways to allow for Air Force operations across Nunavut and establish proper deepwater ports and Naval bases, regardless of what the so-called land defenders say. If there’s one thing we can learn from the US, it is that our Military is weak and our borders are porous.
I don’t disagree, I just find it odd she seems to be alluding to the US as the one who might foot the bill.
Why is it odd?
NORAD is turning 65 this year and northern defense has been a joint venture since its inception.
I think a lot of people are trying very hard to be very partisan.
Why should we expect the US Government to assume responsibility for funding the Canadian Rangers? Are we such a weak, poor backwater state that we can not even take care of the most basic contributions to our own defense? Or, are have we become so accustomed to free riding that we have lost all sense of self respect and shame over caring for our own defense? Lori’s comments are embarrassing.
Who do you think we are? Canada has been America’s snotty-nosed little brother for a century. Complicit in every international conflict, sanction, show of force the US chooses to tangle itself in. We are a glorified conglomerate of military bases and development corps.
“Complicit in every conflict”
Right, our roll in Vietnam and the Iraq War will not soon be forgotten, or, wait…
I would suggest you don’t know as much about history as you like to pretend.
I don’t agree with the second half of your statement but I agree that Canada is little more than a silly extension of the US.
Your analysis is too superficial to be useful, Tired… please go get some rest.
Oh spare me the sanctimony.
Its called treaty obligations … NORAD has been jointly funded by both countries for half a century. And Canada just pledged $70,000,000,000 to NORAD modernization. I guess the US is so weak and backwards that they can’t be expected to handle their own defense. Get outta here.
This is what I mean by people trying hard to be as partisan as they can. Feelings over facts.
If it’s true that Canada just pledged 70 Billion to NORAD Modernization, then I am puzzled why we need to beg the US to help equip the Rangers.
Please show me the ‘Treaty Obligation’ were the US promises to equip and fund our Military?
I don’t think you can, because I think you are making things up. Am I wrong on that?
Super wrong.
https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/operations/allies-partners/norad/facesheet-funding-norad-modernization.html
Apologies. I think my first source might have done the math wrong. The total pledge is $38,000,000,000. Your characterization of this as “begging” leads me to believe you’re arguing in bad faith; you’ve already settled on a conclusion.
And you’re quite right. I can’t show you that provision in any treaties because your strawman doesn’t exist. But open ended provisions with respect to cooperation appear quite often. More to the point, the US has taken on the bulk of NORAD funding and operations for decades. Naturally.
The DEW line was largely built and manned by Americans. The US military was so heavily involved with NORAD and northern air defense in the 50’s and 60’s that it gave us “small country syndrome” and made a lot of Canadians super insecure. And then, when the US started to withdraw funding we couldn’t take up the slack because we lack the capacity and tend to ignore the arctic. September 11, 2001 changed that for obvious reasons.
I expect that I’ve wasted my time with this. Feelings over facts is definitely the MO here.
In other words your attempt to invoke ‘treaty obligations’ is foiled by the fact that you have no clue what those obligations actually are.
Too funny.
When you say “I expect that I’ve wasted my time with this,” I will have to agree.
“Lori’s comments are embarrassing.”
So are yours.
An unusually weak response from you, John. What’s the ’embarrassment’ exactly?
Willful ignorance in the pursuit of partisanship.
Just curious, John. Are all criticisms ‘partisan’? Or only the ones you don’t agree with?
*you mean the
There is a madness to the method… And the madness is to push constantly a war footing as the only choice. Society, community, be damned for the important thing – to make war. The freedom we need to function as a society worth living for and in is no longer important. We live in a most dangerous time – the possible time of the ultimate end of humanity. A time of Madness.
Why don’t we just become another state of the good ol’ US of A and be done with it?
Because of a 65 year old mutual defense treaty that we contribute significantly to? lol, wut.
This timeline is embarrassing.
Facetious comment on my part and I do agree with you.
However, for those suggesting we have been nothing but a follower of the USA, check your history. Who went into WW2 first? Certainly not the US of A. Unfortunately, Trudeau and his NDP cohorts have depleted our military to such a degree, Toronto doesn’t even ask for help with the snow anymore
Build the Gray’s Bay Road and Port project using defenceman funds from both Norad partners to ensure the sovereignty of the Arctic.
Great idea… let’s get NORAD to build new housing too, that will ensure Arctic Sovereignty, right PJ?
Why would the U.S. ever consider. Having anything do with the Ranger’s.
Unfortunately the Rangers are an insignificant. In our national and North American defence strategy.