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Prime Minister Harper bolsters Arctic sovereignty with science and infrastructure announcements
5 October 2007
CHURCHILL, MANITOBA
PLEASE CHECK AGAINST DELIVERYThank you Michael Goodyear (Executive Director of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre) for that kind introduction, and for hosting us here today.
Premier Doer and Minister Robinson,
My colleague, the Minister responsible for Manitoba and President of the Treasury Board, the Honourable Vic Toews,
My colleague, the Minister of Indian and Northern Affairs, the Honourable Chuck Strahl,
Mayor Spence, and municipal officials,
Community elders, staff, Board Members, and friends of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
Mr. Pat Broe, President of Omnitrax, who has come from Colorado to join us for this announcement.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I’d like to thank you for joining me here in Churchill for an important announcement concerning two key aspects of our government’s Arctic sovereignty agenda.
As an entryway to the Great Hudson’s Bay and the far North, Churchill has played a major role in Northern development throughout our history.
It was critical to the fur trade centuries ago.
Vital to national security during the cold war.
And it has been an important conduit for prairie grain exports to the world for over seventy years.
With the opportunities and challenges now facing the region, Churchill is destined to become more important than ever.
Now, it’s no secret that Canada’s true North ranks very high among our government’s priorities.
Ignored for far too long by Ottawa, we’re committed to helping the region finally realize its true potential.
To this end, our government has established a Northern agenda built on four primary objectives:
• to respond to the challenges of climate change in the North and make sure that its countless ecological wonders are protected for future generations.
A strong and sovereign Arctic must be a healthy and prosperous Arctic.
Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve made a point of touring the North every summer, because if we’re going to better protect the North, we need to better understand the North.
Among many other things, we need to understand how climate change is affecting its flora and fauna.
We need to understand how the various aspects of its ecosystem interact.
We need to understand the health challenges facing its people.
Today I’m pleased to announce that our government is providing financial support for 26 new research projects that will help us to better comprehend these Northern issues.
Conducted as a part of the international polar year scientific programme, these projects will broaden our understanding of the geography, ecology, and sociology of the North.
One study will investigate how polar bears, seals, and whales are adapting to climate change.
Another will study changes to the Canadian cryosphere – the snow, frozen ground, glaciers, ice caps, and lake, river, and sea ice that define our true North.
And another will measure the level of toxic chemicals in the air and determine how they got there and what impact they’re having.
Altogether, more than 40 Canada-funded science projects will be undertaken as part of international polar year, including some that will be conducted here at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
Never before have so many researchers been deployed in the North at one time.
The data they collect will be invaluable to Canada as we prepare to make the case for our sovereignty over the Arctic before the United Nations convention on the law of the sea in 2013.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me be clear: scientific inquiry and development are absolutely essential to Canada’s defence of its North. They enhance our knowledge of, and presence in, the region.
And as I’ve said so many times before about our Arctic, use it or lose it is the first principle of sovereignty.
A strong and sovereign Arctic must be a healthy and prosperous Arctic.
And there should be no doubt – our government is serious about asserting Canada’s sovereignty over our North.
To this end, I am pleased to announce two additional initiatives today with Premier Doer.
Recognizing Churchill’s importance to our government’s Northern agenda, we intend to provide funds to upgrade the port facilities here.
As I mentioned earlier, the port already plays a key role in supplying regional communities and resource projects, as well as getting prairie grain to market.
In fact, just this month, the first ever shipment of prairie grain destined for a domestic market passed through Churchill en route to Halifax.
And in further support of the port, our government will provide funds to help upgrade the rail line between Churchill and The Pas.
This means not only better rail links between prairie farmers and one of their export facilities.
It also means better rail links between Northern resource developers and southern markets, including customers in the United States.
I’d like to especially acknowledge Pat, the owner of the rail line, for his sizeable investment in the project and his long-term commitment to the future of Churchill.
In the absence of these, this announcement wouldn’t have been possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, today’s initiatives mark the next step forward in our government’s Northern agenda.
In the weeks and months that lie ahead, we’ll be introducing further measures aimed at helping the region realize its true potential.
There is no doubt, these are exciting times for the North.
And rest assured, as the world beats a path to our Arctic doorstep, our government is working hard to ensure Canada’s ready to greet them when they arrive.
Thank-you.
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