‘Canada is an Arctic power’ says foreign minister

Lawrence Cannon.

OTTAWA – Canada wants to see a line drawn to demarcate its boundaries in the Arctic to assert its sovereignty, Lawrence Cannon, Canada’s foreign minister said on Saturday.

Cannon announced he will visit Resolute Bay and the Borden Island ice camp on April 5 for a two-day trip.

He will inspect the Borden Island ice camp and see first-hand the work being done to prepare Canada’s submission to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

“The Arctic is a priority for the Canadian government, and Canada is playing a leadership role on Arctic issues internationally and at home. I look forward to seeing the work being done to prepare Canada’s submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf,” Cannon said.

“The information being gathered at the ice camp is essential to our submission.”

The Borden Island ice camp is one of a series of scientific activities that Canada has undertaken to collect the data necessary to delineate the outer limits of its extended continental shelf.

“At some point, there will be another line on the map of Canada showing the outer limits of the extended continental shelf. The staff of the Borden Island camp are among those who will have helped to put that new line on the map,” he said.

“Canada is an Arctic power, and we will continue to exercise our sovereignty.”

Work at the camp will include for the first time the use of autonomous underwater vehicles—a Canadian technology—to collect bathymetric data.

Preparation of Canada’s submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is a joint undertaking by Natural Resources Canada (Geological Survey of Canada), Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Canadian Hydrographic Service), Defence Research and Development Canada and Environment Canada (Canadian Ice Service).

Canada will present its submission to the Commission in December 2013.

“This government is dedicated to fulfilling the North’s true potential as a healthy, prosperous and secure region within a strong and sovereign Canada,” said Cannon. “We take our responsibility for the future of the region seriously.”

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Posted by News Editor on Apr 3 2010. Filed under Canada. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry