Vanguard Magazine

34 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 www.vanguardcanada.com T H E LA S T W O R D generating business and employment op- portunities for Inuit business and Nuna- vummiut. Tourism is increasing with the disappear- ing ice, offering various business opportuni- ties, such as supporting the growing cruise industry. The planned laying of fiber-optic cables across the Northwest Passage would allow for a satellite downloading farm, sim- ilar to one in Sweden, and potentially even a data centre. All of the federal services would benefit from modern infrastructure, including science, search and rescue, and environmental response. As I suggested at the Canadian Maritime Advisory Council's Prairie and Northern Region meeting on May 11 in Quebec City, if Canada is serious about improving its Arctic maritime domain awareness, one of the simple and inexpensive ways to do this is to increase the number of ships that are obligated to report to the Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regu- lations (better known as NORDREG), and to require them to continuously emit on the automatic identification system while in Canadian waters. Since this would only require a change to the regulations, it could be simply and quickly done under the authority of the minister Responsible. I also recommended in a recent article in Vanguard magazine that the Canadian-de- veloped high frequency surface wave radar system, which was installed and tested in Nova Scotia years ago, be deployed to per- sistently monitor vessel traffic at the Arctic Archipelago choke points. The data, pro- vided by Maerospace of Waterloo, Ont., would greatly assist the Maritime Security Operation Centre in Halifax to identify ships disregarding regulations, and pre- vent them from entering our waters. Lastly, given the cost of nuclear subma- rines, our politicized and broken procure- ment system, and the fact that Canada was not even invited to join a British, Ameri- can, and Australian effort to share nuclear power submarine technology, I recom- mended the use of underwater drones such as the Explorer class of vehicle from British Columbia-based International Sub- marine Engineering to remotely monitor under the ice the vulnerable entry point to our arctic internal waters as well as their approach. The investment in the development of Resolute Bay could be applied to our mea- gre 1.3 percent of GDP on defence, and improve our standing with our allies. In- ternationally, Canada's reputation on na- tional security is that of a free-loader that does not carry its fair share of defence. When it comes to the Arctic, I will let the reports above make the case. The recommendations I made would ad- dress most of the concerns raised by our citizens in the Ipsos poll. To secure the Arctic, we need a champion and leader- ship. I know where I stand. I will let you be the judge. I sincerely hope that Minister of Na- tional Defence Bill Blair will continue the efforts that former minister Anita Anand is credited with. Disclosure: Maerospace of Waterloo, Ont. is a client of Arctic Security Consul- tants. Col (Ret'd) Pierre Leblanc is a former Com- mander of Canadian Forces in the Arctic, and is currently president of Arctic Security Consultants. Reprinted with permission, August 2023 The Hill Times The investment in the development of Resolute Bay could be applied to our meagre 1.3 percent of GDP on defence, and improve our standing with our allies. Internationally, Canada's reputation on national security is that of a free-loader that does not carry its fair share of defence. A member of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) communicates with his chain of command aer completing weapons practice during Operation NUNALIVUT on March 7, 2018. Photo: Corporal Myki Poirier-Joyal, DND

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