Arctic Sovereignty, Canada's role

There is much activity going on in Canada's north and Commander Alex Grant gave an overview to Labrador West on the Canadian Navy and its role in Arctic Sovereignty.

Cdr. Grant talked to the Chamber of Commerce last week with great enthusiasm of his trip to Nunavut for Operation Nanook-one of three major sovereignty operations being conducted by the Canadian Forces in northern Canada.

Cdr. Grant was the Commanding Officer on the HMCS Toronto for the past two years and took the ship on two deployments in the effort to provide security and sovereignty.

The trips allowed for an unforgettable experience for the Commander who said it's hard to appreciate what the far north is all about until you actually experience it. He explained the great potential in the natural resources if the Northwest Passage- the body of Arctic water existing between the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay in the east and the Bering Strait in the west-is more accessible for longer portions of the year.

Because of the climate change and global warming there is a melting of the polar ice caps which is expected to open the Northwest Passage to more shipping activity.

Cdr. Grant explained studies now show that the melting will happen 30 years earlier than initially predicted.

"By 2020 it will be ice free," he said. "We want to be able to take advantage of the is ice-free Arctic."

Canada's Arctic presence currently involves the Canadian Coast Guard that operates a fleet of five icebreakers that guide foreign vessels through the Arctic waters and assist in re-supply.

The Canadian Forces Northern Area has a headquarters in Yellowknife.

"The Canadian Government is rising to the challenge of the Canadian North," he said. "This area is so big, it's the size of the continent of Europe. There is a great joint effort with the Canadian Coast Guard, the Canadian Rangers, the Army, Air Force and Navy."