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Sunday 05.02.2012

A message from Canada...

Canada will strive to "work peacefully" with other polar nations but "will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty, foreign affairs minister says.

Canada's foreign affairs minister Lawrence Cannon said last week that the Conservative government will strive to "work peacefully" with other polar nations but "will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty."



The statement followed the release of a new Russian government report that predicts possible military conflict over Arctic oil.

Cannon, currently on a diplomatic tour in Asia, told Canwest News Service in a statement from Japan that recent steps taken by Canada to bolster its military and marine infrastructure in the North "will ensure that the Canadian Forces are prepared to address future challenges and respond to any emergency" that unfolds.

"Canada is determined to work peacefully in co-operation with all our northern partners in the Arctic," Cannon said. "That having been said: Canada is an Arctic power, and our government understands the potential of the North. Therefore, when and if necessary, this government will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty, and all of our interests in the Arctic."

Wednesday's security report from Moscow — which mentioned the possibility of military conflicts over energy in the Arctic and on Russia's other frontiers — was described as a "wake-up call" for Canada by University of Calgary political scientist Rob Huebert.

He said Russia has been "making nice sounds" about the Arctic on the diplomatic front while striking an assertive posture militarily on the ground and at sea throughout the North — including an increase in aircraft training exercises.