News Release

From the Prime Minister's Web Site (http://www.pm.gc.ca/)

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Renewal of NORAD Agreement to be voted on by House of Commons

May 1, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that there will be a debate and vote in the House of Commons in support of the renewal of the North American Aerospace Defence (NORAD) Agreement.

“The Speech from the Throne committed this government to submitting significant international treaties for vote in Parliament,” said the Prime Minister. “For nearly five decades, the NORAD Agreement has represented one of the most fundamental elements of the Canada-U.S. defence relationship. The renewal of the agreement is an important undertaking that should be considered by the House of Commons, and I thank the leaders of the Opposition for agreeing to bring this before the House in a timely way.”

NORAD is a binational military command first established to monitor and defend North American airspace. NORAD now also monitors and tracks man made objects in space and detects, validates and warns of attack against North America by aircraft, missiles or space vehicles, while it continues to provide surveillance and control of Canadian and U.S. airspace. Under the new agreement, NORAD would also provide warning of maritime threats.

The NORAD Agreement was first signed by the governments of Canada and the United States on May 12, 1958, and has been renewed for varying periods since that time.

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The Prime Minister’s Office - Communications
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