Quote:
Originally Posted by omon
i wonder if it has anything to do with russia claming north pole?
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Not really, Harper made a promise when he was elected that he would boost CF presence in the Arctic, and that included the purchase of new ships capable of asserting Canadian Sovereignty in the north.
Mainly because a melting ice cap, would make the NW passage a favorable route for commercial ships, smugglers and military vessels alike. The Canadian government wants have full control over access of the NW passage, and know who and what is entering Canadian territory. This has as much to do with Sovereignty, as it does with the environment. An oil tanker that struck the bottom in the arctic would be catastrophic, as the arctic ecosystem is extremely fragile.