NDDN Committee Report

Bloc Québécois Supplementary Report on Arctic Sovereignty

Introduction

The Bloc Québécois made a significant contribution to the study on Arctic sovereignty by the Standing Committee on Defence.

However, we consider the report incomplete with respect to two issues: surveillance of submarine traffic in the Arctic and the inclusion in Canada’s Northern Strategy of Inuit communities located north of the 60th parallel in Quebec. As a result of these shortcomings, we are obliged to submit this supplementary report.

1.    Submarine surveillance

Experts who testified before the Committee convinced the Bloc Québécois of the importance of having some control over this inconspicuous form of transportation. Mr. Donat Pharand, Emeritus Professor at the University of Ottawa, pointed out that the lack of control over submarine traffic could even be used against Canada in its Arctic claims.

As is clear in the report, the Committee put a lot of thought into the survey and strict control of surface vessels that enter into Canadian waters. The Committee finds it important to monitor surface maritime traffic, so why not apply this same reasoning to underwater maritime traffic.

Clearly, control over submarines is more difficult to exert since they are extremely hard to detect.

Professor Pharand suggested two listening and detection stations: Lancaster Sound and M’Clure Strait. The technology he proposed can even identify the submarine’s signature, that is, its country of origin, its propulsion methods, etc.

The Bloc Québécois recommends that the government establish these listening and detection stations.

2.    Including Nunavik in policies on the Canadian North

The Bloc Québécois recognizes the Committee’s efforts to include the recommendation in its report that:

“The Government include Nunavik, in northern Quebec and Nunatsiavut in northern Newfoundland and Labrador at the 60th parallel, in its Northern Strategy and other programs for the North.”

The Bloc Québécois suggests that we add the following:

“In accordance with a motion unanimously adopted by the National Assembly of Quebec on November 28, 2007. This must be done while fully respecting Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction and territorial integrity. The federal government must accordingly pay Quebec its share of the funding in question so that it may in turn support and promote Nunavik’s socio-economic development, in close cooperation with the Inuit who live there.”

This addition supports concepts that are very important for us.

If Quebec lets down its guard, history shows us that Canada profits at Quebec’s expense. The reminder of and reference to the motion of the National Assembly is therefore important to the Bloc Québécois.

Canadian history requires us to take extreme caution when the territorial integrity of Quebec is at stake. Clearly, we are referring to Westminster’s decision to separate Labrador from Quebec.

With respect to funding to Quebec, we wish to make very clear that this money is directed at provincial jurisdictions and so must be administered by Quebec. This passage would have blocked Ottawa from intervening in Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction, which it has often done in the past.

The last part of our recommendation addresses co-operation with the Inuit. The Bloc Québécois has always placed great importance on co-operating with the Inuit, who have lived on this land for centuries. Their representatives have approached us with their concerns. To the Bloc Québécois, this critical aspect of co-operation bears repeating and is deserving of being continually emphasized.

Claude Bachand, MP

St-Jean

Pascal-Pierre Paillé, MP

Louis-Hébert