Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR
Issue link: http://vanguardcanada.uberflip.com/i/439940
A ARCTIC www.vanguardcanada.com dECEMBER 2014/JanUaRy 2015 13 vessel was mentioned on government sites, it was only referred to as the "European" ship One Ocean Voyager. Canada's state of the art underwater survey vehicle and high resolution sonar were kept in a locked and constantly guarded container on the ship. (Those arrangements were to prove somewhat impractical, as we relied on Russian crane operators and deck hands to launch and recover the vehicle through the open roof of the container.) All in all it made for a very politically charged atmosphere aboard the ship. Gradu- ally though, the atmosphere changed, mostly as the Canadians onboard developed a respect for the capabilities of the ship and for the professionalism and Arctic experience of the Russian crew. So, what of broader implications? Will the chilling of relation- ships between Canada and our allies and Russia make a difference in the implementation of Canada's Northern Strategy? Consider the following: 1) How long with the chill last? The Prime Minister is on record as saying "Whether it takes fi ve months or 50 years to liberate it, Canada will never, ever recognize the illegal Rus- sian occupation of any Ukrainian territory." 2) What is the motivation for Canada's hawkish stance? Canada has a large population of ethnic Ukrainian citi- zens, most of whom will appreciate the government's line. Votes matter. But there's more to it than that. Harper distrusts Putin on a personal level. And, fi nally, there is an aspect of business competition. Canada and Russia both rely on oil and gas exports to drive their economies, and an isolated Russia coupled with a MASS comes of age CETA agreement perhaps opens an opportunity for Canada to take European energy export market share from Russia. 3) What could we do about it? Canada and the West are al- ready applying specifi c and targeted economic sanctions on Russia, and they are having a bite, with the ruble having already lost a quarter of its value against the Canadian dollar since Russia fi rst moved into Crimea. The sanctions are not universal. Canada is still doing business with Russia in areas where the net benefi t to Canada is considered to outweigh the impact to Russia, including the oil industry where Canadian innovation is helping to open up Russia's Arctic oil frontier. Direct military confl ict is not an op- tion. Pipeline solutions for getting Canadian oil to tidewater, let alone to Europe, are long lead items. My expectation, therefore, is that we are into a world familiar to industry executive readers: namely a period of "coopetition" in the North as the Great Game plays out. While we have compet- ing strategic interests, which itself breeds distrust, the fact is that as a practical matter both countries need each other's support in the Arctic in the short to medium term: Canada for ships and capabilities like that provided by the Sergey Vavilov, and Russia for enabling technologies to grow their own economy, including Arctic oil development, perhaps prototyping techniques that could eventually be used in our own Arctic. In the meantime, Canada would be well served to invest in a re- placement to the Quest and especially in additional Arctic surveil- lance capabilities to better monitor the neighbour we don't trust. The Maritime and Arctic Security and Safety Con- ference (MASS) may be only in its second year, but already the St. John's event has become a beacon for maritime and Arctic issues. Held in late October, the conference saw a 35 percent increase in attendance over 2013 and greater industry support and engagement, as well as strong representation from Canada's Inuit. "Collaboration is much talked about and never as easy to put into practice as often advertised," said Will Jacobs, executive director of Newfound- land and Labrador's Aerospace and Defence In- dustry Association and a principal organizer. "By constructing an agenda and networking oppor- tunities that highlight the domestic and interna- tional synergies between industry, academia, CAF, CCG, northern peoples and various government departments, I believe that a forum like MASS can play a huge role in educating and facilitating an awareness of the opportunities to collaborate." The event included a keynote address from the Department of Homeland Security on the U.S. roadmap for maritime and border security, as well as presentations from senior govern- ment offi cials with National Defence, NORAD, the Canadian Space Agency, Transport, Environment Canada, the Coast Guard and Search and Rescue. Of particular interest were insider reports on the Franklin search expedition and the 2014 Po- lar Expedition by Canada's two heavy icebreak- ers, the Louis St. Laurent and Terry Fox. Leading aerospace fi rms Airbus Defence and Space and Lockheed Martin Canada used the event to pro- vide glimpses into their Arctic aspirations. Planning is already underway for MASS15, "Collaboration for Effect." While many aspects of doing business in the North are linked to new technologies, MASS organizers have ensured that the role of traditional knowledge remains prominent in the program, in particular, the rela- tionship between scientifi c knowledge and Indig- enous knowledge.