Harper says 'The single most important duty of the federal government is to protect and defend our national sovereignty.'

Harper pledges larger Arctic military presence

Updated Thu. Dec. 22 2005 11:33 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said his party will defend Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic with a beefed up military presence.

Campaigning in Winnipeg Thursday, Harper said a Conservative government would increase underwater and aerial surveillance and enlarge the navy, army, and air force presence.

"The single most important duty of the federal government is to protect and defend our national sovereignty," Harper said.

"There are new and disturbing reports of American nuclear submarines passing through Canadian waters without obtaining the permission of -- or even notifying -- the Canadian government.

"You don't defend national sovereignty with flags, cheap election rhetoric, and advertising campaigns. You need forces on the ground, ships in the sea, and proper surveillance. That will be the Conservative approach."

Harper said that if he was elected Prime Minister he would make it clear to foreign governments that travelling in Canadian territory requires government consent.

The Conservative plan for defending Arctic sovereignty includes:

• Stationing three new armed ice breakers -- to be made in Canada -- in the area of Iqaluit
• Building a new military/civilian deep-water docking facility in the Iqaluit area
• Establishing underwater listening posts to monitor northern waters for foreign submarines and ships
• Building a new Arctic army training centre in the area of Cambridge Bay on the Northwest Passage
• Stationing new fixed-wing search-and-rescue aircraft in Yellowknife

The price tag for the plan would be an additional $5.3 billion over five years. Annual defence spending would jump to $20 billion a year, compared with about $14 billion under the Liberal plan, The Canadian Press reports.

Prime Minister Paul Martin responded to Harper's proposal by saying it was far too expensive.

A statement issued by the Liberal party Thursday said that there are already 4,000 Canadian Rangers in various remote, isolated and coastal communities in the North.

"They report any unusual activities, and conduct surveillance or sovereignty patrols as required," the statement read. "In addition, they provide training in Arctic survival and act as guides."

A Liberal government would add more than 10 unmanned spy planes to extend monitoring of the region.

Radarsat 2, an imaging satellite, would also be launched in 2007 to help detect ship movements.

Defence Minister Bill Graham said it's pointless to increase Canada's military presence in the region to the extent proposed by Harper.

"There isn't a big military threat in the North," he said. "My sense is we should be spending where we need to – on the environment, on the need to adjust to climate change."

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jack Layton, the only candidate so far to actually campaign in the Arctic, has said his party will reveal its military proposal in the new year.

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