Speech

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

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PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ANNOUNCES NEW ARCTIC OFFSHORE PATROL SHIPS

July 9, 2007
Esquimalt, British Columbia

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Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

And thank you Chuck Strahl for your kind introduction.

Standing here at HMC Esquimalt Dockyard, on the shores of Esquimalt Harbour, one can appreciate the historical significance and potential importance of our country's sovereignty over its coasts.

Inhabited by the Coast Salish Natives for hundreds of years, this place was first claimed by a Spanish explorer in 1790 before becoming the heart of a territorial tug of war between the Americans and the British in the early 1800s.

Early in the British colonial period, the Royal Naval Establishment at Esquimalt was created.

In 1910, after Britain resolved to decommission its North American naval bases, the seeds of our proud Navy were planted when Esquimalt and Halifax – and the great responsibility of protecting our ocean approaches – were formally handed over to the young Dominion of Canada.

Just as the new Confederation looked to securing the Western shore, Canada must now look north to the next frontier – the vast expanse of the Arctic.

And that is what brings me here today.

As you all know, the federal government is responsible for many things.

But its highest responsibility is the defence of our nation's sovereignty.

And in defending our nation's sovereignty, nothing is as fundamental as protecting Canada's territorial integrity:

• Our borders;

• Our airspace; and

• Our waters.

During the last election campaign, the Conservative Party made it clear that Canada must do more to defend Canada's Arctic sovereignty.

Because the world is changing.

The ongoing discovery of the North's resource riches – coupled with the potential impact of climate change – has made the region an area of growing interest and concern.

Canada has a choice when it comes to defending our sovereignty over the Arctic.

We either use it or lose it.

And make no mistake, this Government intends to use it.

Because Canada's Arctic is central to our identity as a northern nation.

It is part of our history.

And it represents the tremendous potential of our future.

That's why I'm so pleased to be here today.

To announce our first moves forward to defend and strengthen Canada's Arctic sovereignty.

The first element of the plan will be the construction and deployment of six to eight new state-of-the-art offshore patrol ships.

To be custom-designed and built in Canada, these ships will be exceptionally versatile, with equal ability to navigate the major rivers, coastal waters and open seas of Canada's Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic.

The steel-reinforced hulls will be able to crunch through ice up to a metre thick, meaning the ships will be able to patrol the length of the Northwest Passage during the months a Canadian naval presence is necessary.

And they'll be able to guard its approaches year-round.

Each vessel will be armed as well as equipped with a helicopter landing pad for our new C-148 Cyclone helicopters, ordered last year, which will dramatically expand the ships' operational range and versatility.

And the vessels will be operated, of course, by the finest sailors in the naval world.

A second element of our coastal security and Arctic sovereignty strategy will involve the construction of a deep water port in the far North.

I look forward to announcing its specific location in the not-too-distant future.

Obviously it will serve as a forward operating base for the new patrol ships, but it will have important civilian and commercial applications as well.

More and more, as global commerce routes chart a path to Canada's North – and as the oil, gas and minerals of this frontier become more valuable – northern resource development will grow ever more critical to our nation.

I've said before that the North is poised to take a much bigger role in Canada.

From its deposits of diamonds and silver to copper and zinc, the North is attracting international attention, capital, people and development.

And it is no exaggeration to say that the need to assert our sovereignty and protect our territorial integrity in the Arctic – on our terms – has never been more urgent.

Taken together, the initiative I am announcing today – along with others our Government will announce in the near future – will improve security on Canada's three coasts.

They will begin to provide the Canadian Forces with the tools they need to enforce our claim to sovereignty and our jurisdiction over the Arctic.

In short, we're going to keep Canada the true North strong and free.

Thank you.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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