Harper set to reassert Arctic territorial sovereignty amid ongoing tensions with Russia

Prime Minister Stephen Harper begins his ninth annual summer tour of the Arctic on Thursday.

Harper will take part in discussions regarding economic development, make a funding announcements about northern agriculture and take part in a military exercise in part to assert Canada's sovereignty in the region.

This trip – unlike his past eight trips – is a little different from previous visits in that it comes with a backdrop of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Russia and Canada are rivals when it comes to Arctic sovereignty. Buoyed by the north's natural resource riches, Russia and Canada, along with the United States and the European Union are all in disagreement about Arctic boundaries.

The University of Ottawa's Ivan Katchanovski, an expert on Russian affairs, suggests that growing tensions between Canada and Russia over Ukraine will invariably spill over into the Arctic.

"The conflict in Ukraine has a significant negative impact on the prospects for the co-operation between Canada and Russia in these and other areas," the political science professor told Yahoo Canada News.

"The Ukrainian conflict is also likely to increase or at least make it harder to solve an existing dispute between Canada and Russia involving overlapping claims over some large, resource-rich seabed areas of the Arctic."

While no one is suggesting any military action, there have been some provocations in recent months.

As explained by the Globe and Mail, Canadian jets were scrambled twice in June in response to Russian bombers over the Arctic.

......this Harper guy is, to be nice, misleading his on people to the point of FRAUD. He knows the Canadian people in the naval domain have no navy, period. Don’t believe me, read the article at the link below.

I read it. It's possible that "this Harper guy" ... could be misleading his on (sic) people to the point of FRAUD, but I don't see that Michael Byers is an expert witness on naval, aviation or other areas outside his presumed areas of expertise.

He's a Law/PolySci prof, failed political candidate (for the NDP, ie. socialist party), wants to shut down the "Tar" Sands "to address the global climate crisis", was sharply critical of the Harper government's supposed militarization of the Arctic etc. Pretty much an all-too-typical mouthy, leftist, tenured academic.

I think “18” ships and few of them working speaks for itself notwithstanding the author. Thanks for the research on him.

I was just in Canada for a month and though I found Canadians friendly and helpful I was appalled by their general lack of work ethic. They honestly will not work more than about 20-25 hrs per week and love to brag about their FREE healthcare endlessly (to Americans).

One guy I got to be pretty good pals with said that one day and I said back to him jokingly “you idiot!.......NOTHING is for free!......me, you, and every visitor/tourist that comes up here and keeps your economy alive is paying for that FREE healthcare in the form of $6.33 per gallon gasoline!!!!

“I pay 3.13 at home!”

I filled a uhaul truck up and my boat and it cost just over $600.00 for 100 gallons.

No time now, if ever, for a thoughtful response, but...

“18” ships and few of them working speaks.... doesn't speak to your claim about "this Harper guy ....misleading his on people to the point of FRAUD"

I was just in Canada for a month and though I found Canadians friendly and helpful I was appalled by their general lack of work ethic. They honestly will not work more than about 20-25 hrs per week and love to brag about their FREE healthcare endlessly (to Americans).

In Canada for a month, and you're an expert on Canada and Canadians !! Their work ethic, working hours, attitude toward Americans, the parameters determining the cost of gas at the pump, the cost of their health care etc. It's not free, and they all know it, even those on the dole who may be subsidized. Canadians may be polite, but a majority (except perhaps Quebec) are very anti-American unless the American is a draft dodger, Obama lover or some such. Somebody's been pulling your leg.

The Canadian Armed forces has a full time coplimenmt of less that 100,000 sevicemen and women. It canot defend the Canadian North without US help. Obama would never assist Canada in repelling a Russian initiative to annex the Canadian North. Harper knows this.

And since Putin is on a roll, Harper is worried rightly so. Most of what Harper has on the subject is CYA. But if he really wanted to do someting, he would build a large military base on the North part of Ellesmere Island. But he likely will not, he is just covering his own butt by raising the issue.

This is a short summary of events:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/10/russia-military-arctic-canada-north-pole

Russia is on the ball, Canada has no means by which it can secure the North of its own country.

“No time now, if ever, for a THOUGHTFUL response, but...”

Sir, perhaps you have found some time by now to “think” about the SIGNIFICANCE (to America) of the leader of a major country like Canada bragging about re-establishing his country’s sovereignty over vast areas of the Artic Ocean and countering the Russian Navy with his pitiful 18 ship Navy. If you cannot understand the SIGNIFICANCE of that statement by Canada’s leader and how ridiculous it is, given the facts pertaining to the Canadian Navy, then I probably can’t help you. But, I will try in 6 sentences, to wit:

...Our current leadership is cutting our Navy to the bone, that’s a fact. I am not an “expert” but that is a fact. If you want to argue that it is not a fact, please argue it with someone else. So, that’s the SIGNIFICANCE and it is why I “claim” it (re-establishing sovereignty over large portions of the Artic Ocean) is a fraudulent statement for Harper to make because it is simply not possible or even thinkable and is an insult to the intelligence of a gnat. He is trying to sound good and tough to his people when he knows better and oh never mind his obvious disrespect for his own people’s intellect. If America follows Canada’s lead into PURE Socialism, we will surely one day have very little military force like Canada and it’s sister country Britain.

Now, in your hurry, you stated “in Canada for a month and you’re an expert”. This is what happens when you don’t have time for a “thoughtful response”. I never used the word “expert” and I don’t think of myself as an “expert” on the Canadian “work ethic”. I do have an opinion though based upon what all the people (Canadians) I talked to face to face who told me about how they feel about “work” and how much they prefer to work. And, it is a fact that they do not like to work as much as Americans and generally don’t. Now, that’s my opinion. Sorry if you have a contrary opinion. And, by the way, over the years, I have spent many months in Canada and have an x wife and mother-in-law that are Canadian. The mother-in-law hasn’t hit a lick in 50 years (she’s ninety) and the daughter precious little.

Now, on gasoline, after paying several thousand for gasoline in a month I also have an opinion on the cost of gasoline in a socialist country. It’s not an EXPERT opinion but it is a well informed opinion. And, I don’t want America going that direction. You might but I don’t, again, that’s my opinion.

I also commented on FREE HEALTCARE. It is not FREE. The money has to come from somewhere. These folks I talked to over and over used the word FREE when referring to their Healthcare. It is not secret and is not debatable amongst people with time and intellect to think about it that a lot of the money the Canadian Gov’t uses to pass out these FREEBIES is derived from gasoline taxes among scores of others. I don’t like that either and that is my OPINION. Sorry if you disagree.

Your last sentence seems a philosophical departure from the rest of your post but I strongly disagree with you. Everybody I came in contact with in Canada, that was Canadian and Socialist by admission, with one or two exceptions, was as nice and friendly as they could be to this American and there was no “anti-Americanism” directed at me in any way and they weren’t “pulling my leg”. No doubt there are many up there but I didn’t meet any, this trip.

Thanks for your comments.

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