Whose True North Strong And Free?

Paul Martin would have us believe that the most effective defence of Canadian sovereignty against American influence consists of bluff, bluster and bullshit.

None of which ever saved a single Canadian dollar, job, or life, and none of which can stop the U.S. Navy from sending its subs through the Arctic seas whenever they like:

A U.S. nuclear submarine cruised through the Arctic Ocean last month -- probably passing through Canadian territorial waters -- but the federal government is refusing to say whether it gave permission for the voyage.

However, experts say it is highly unlikely Canada was even notified of the USS Charlotte's northern tour, which included a Nov. 10 stop at the North Pole, because it has no way of tracking what goes on beneath the Arctic ice.

And that could threaten Canada's claim to hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of the North, including the Northwest Passage route across the Arctic, said Michael Byers, who holds the Canada research chair in global politics and international law at the University of British Columbia.

"This is very important -- it's crucial," he said. "Any unauthorized passage could have a serious effect on our claim."

For too long, we've been expecting a free ride off the United States for our national defence, even while we neglected ours to the point of complete impotence, while hectoring the U.S. self-righteously on everything from Iraq to Kyoto to homosexual marriage.

The Liberal government has made much--too much, rather--of reliance on international law and institutions, and so-called "soft power". Unfortunately, "soft power" is useless without "hard power" to back it up. And we may even lose our claim in international law to our own internal waters as a result.

We don't even have to do much to maintain effective sovereignty over the Arctic--station a few troops, make the odd overflight, plant the flag here and there every so often. We can't even do that little.

The Liberals have abdicated the first responsibility of government to the goodwill of the United States. And that is clearly running out. That alone, aside from any corruption or ordinary administrative incompetence, should be enough reason to vote out the Liberals.

Source: National Post