Notice

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

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Public events for August 26, 2010

August 25, 2010
Ottawa, Ontario

Public events for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for Thursday, August 26th 2010 are:

Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

9:15a.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will participate in a photo opportunity. He will be joined by Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans.

Tuk Point
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

*Photo Opportunity only (Cameras and photographers only)

NOTES:

• Media are required to present proper identification for accreditation.
• Media are required to arrive no later than 9:00 a.m.

Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

9:35 a.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will make an announcement. He will be joined by Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health; Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; and John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

Kitti Hall
Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories

NOTES:

• Media are required to present proper identification for accreditation.
• Media are required to arrive no later than 9:20 a.m.

Whitehorse, Yukon

3:00 p.m. – Prime Minister Stephen Harper will participate in a roundtable meeting. He will be joined by Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health; John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Senator Daniel Lang.

High Country Inn
4051-4th Avenue
Whitehorse, Yukon
H1A 1H1

*Photo Opportunity only (Cameras and photographers only)

NOTES:

• Media are required to present proper identification for accreditation.
• Media are required to arrive no later than 2:45 p.m.

Whitehorse, Yukon

5:30 p.m. - Prime Minster Stephen Harper will deliver remarks. He will be joined by Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health; Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans; John Duncan, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development; and Senator Daniel Lang.

High Country Inn
4051- 4th Avenue
Whitehorse, Yukon
H1A 1H1

*Open to Media (for remarks only)

NOTES:

• Media are required to present proper identification for accreditation.
• Media are required to arrive no later than 5:15 p.m.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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News Release (REVISED)

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

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PM Visits Operation NANOOK 10

August 25, 2010
Resolute Bay, Nunavut

Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Operation NANOOK 10 today, a major sovereignty exercise conducted by the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Canadian Coast Guard and other government departments and agencies in Canada's North.

"Our Government is committed to protecting and asserting Canada's presence throughout our Arctic," Prime Minister Harper said. "As the strategic importance of Canada's Arctic grows, the work undertaken by Operation NANOOK is more valuable now than ever before. With other countries becoming more interested in the Arctic and its rich resource potential, and with new trade routes opening up, we must continue to exercise our sovereignty while strengthening the safety and security of Canadians living in our High Arctic."

Following the success of previous operations, Operation NANOOK 10 is being conducted in Canada's Eastern and High Arctic from August 6 to 26. It features sovereignty and presence patrolling, military exercises and a whole-of-Government operation that focuses on containment and remediation of a simulated tanker leak in the Resolute Bay area.

This year's operation is unique in that it will be the northernmost operation of the NANOOK series — demonstrating Canada's capacity and confidence in operating in the High Arctic region.

The Prime Minister thanked the men and women of the Canadian Forces and participants in Operation NANOOK 10 for their selfless dedication, commitment and service to Canada, and for their work in our country's Arctic region.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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Backgrounder (REVISED)

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

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Backgrounder: Operation NANOOK 10

August 25, 2010
Resolute Bay, Nunavut

The Harper Government is taking action to protect and assert Canada's sovereignty in the North, which is a crucial part of Canada's Northern Strategy. The Strategy is designed to assert and defend Canada's sovereignty, to protect the unique and fragile Arctic ecosystem, to develop a strong Northern economy and to encourage good governance and greater local control and opportunity.

Among other actions, the Government has announced it will establish a Canadian Forces Arctic Training Centre in Resolute Bay to support Arctic training and operations, as well as expand and re-equip the Canadian Rangers – the "eyes and ears" of the Canadian Forces in remote regions across northern Canada. The Government will also establish a deep water Arctic docking and refuelling facility at Nanisivik, which will extend the operational range of the Navy in the Arctic. To further strengthen Canada's ability to protect its northern territory, the Government is building a new Polar Class icebreaker for the North, the largest and most powerful icebreaker Canada has ever owned. It is also equipping the Canadian Forces with several Arctic offshore patrol ships. By taking these and other concrete actions, the Government is continuing to build and carry out its vision to strengthen Canada's sovereignty in the North, fulfilling an important commitment to Canadians.

Operation NANOOK is the centrepiece of three major sovereignty operations conducted each year by the Canadian Forces in Canada's North.

Following the success of previous operations, Operation NANOOK 10 will be conducted in Canada's Eastern and High Arctic, from August 6 to 26. Army, Navy and Air Force personnel will be working under the command of the Joint Task Force (North) (JFTN). As one of six regional commands reporting to Canada Command in Ottawa, JTFN is responsible for the conduct of routine and contingency operations in Canada's North. JFTN is headquartered in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and commanded by Brigadier-General Guy Hamel.

The operation this year will include the following two components: Exercise NATSIQ and Exercise TALLURUTIIT. Natsiq is an Inuktitut word for Ringed Seal and Tallurutiit is the Inuktitut word for a woman's traditional chin tattoo. It is also used by the Inuit to refer to the Northwest Passage because of a distinctive geographical feature resembling the tattoo.

Exercise NATSIQ is the sovereignty and presence patrolling exercise portion of Operation NANOOK 10, employing the Canadian Forces in the air, on land, and at sea. The air component of NATSIQ will provide all air movements, and essential mission support to land and naval operations. The land force will exercise its capabilities in integrating with the Canadian Rangers and conduct land operations in the Arctic. The Navy will lead maritime operations with the Canadian Coast Guard, the United States Navy 2nd Fleet, the United States Coast Guard and the Royal Danish Navy under the auspices of enhancing a collective capability to cooperate in Arctic waters and to develop the capability of these Arctic nations to work together.

Exercise TALLURUTIIT is the whole-of-Government portion of Operation NANOOK 10. Led by the Canadian Coast Guard, TALLURUTIIT involves over 12 governmental departments and agencies, including the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut and the community of Resolute Bay. Exercise TALLURUTIIT will focus on environmental containment and remediation resulting from a simulated tanker fuel leak. The aim of the exercise is to train Canadian Rangers and community volunteers in tanker fuel spill response techniques, including clean-up.

In all, Operation NANOOK 10 will include over 900 participants from the Canadian Forces.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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Backgrounder

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

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Backgrounder: RADARSAT Constellation Mission

August 25, 2010
Resolute Bay, Nunavut

Canada has an enviable history of putting space to use for Canadians. The images that our RADARSAT satellites provide have improved our delivery of disaster relief, here at home, during the floods in Manitoba, and abroad when we brought much needed support to Haiti.

In the North, RADARSAT satellites provide a unique means by which we can monitor our territories and assure the safe navigation of ships in our coastal waters. The price of wheat on international markets is influenced by satellite images of crops. Our defence and security forces rely on the pictures provided by RADARSAT of our borders and the theatres where our troops are active.

The RADARSAT Constellation is a fleet of three state-of-the-art remote-sensing satellites, the successors of the RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 satellites. They will extend the 15-year archive of RADARSAT images, a rich source of geophysical information of Canada and the world. These images are a critical resource of information documenting environmental changes and human habitation and are of key interest to government and university researchers, scientists, and policy makers.

Images supplied by the Constellation will also support the sustainable management, development and use of natural resources, enhance weather monitoring, support the enforcement of fisheries and environmental regulations, secure the safety of navigation in our coastal waters and provide support for disaster management, humanitarian and relief efforts.

The RADARSAT Constellation will be a collective effort: a private company, MDA of Richmond, B.C. has been contracted by the Canadian Space Agency to design the Constellation; the RADARSAT Constellation Mission will be owned and operated by the Government of Canada; and the RADARSAT Constellation will enhance the reliability, scope and delivery of critical images supporting the operational needs of many Government Departments and Agencies.

Since the project was initiated in 2005, the Canadian Space Agency has contracted MDA to carry out the feasibility studies and has allocated $86 million to undertake the detailed design phase (C), estimated to be completed in 2012, setting the stage for construction of the three state-of-the-art satellites.

The Harper Government's commitment to ensuring Canada maintains a strong and dynamic space industry, announced in Budget 2010, has provided the Canadian Space Agency with $397 million in new funds, over five years, to work with Canadian space industry to develop the RADARSAT Constellation Mission.

The Canadian Space Agency will contribute $100 million from existing resources to bring the total to $497 million that will be invested over five years in advanced research, technology development and lead to the construction of the three satellites of the Mission. The bulk of this spending will occur after 2011–12, with the satellite launches planned for 2014 and 2015.

Since 2006, the Harper Government has committed more than $7 billion to Science and Technology and Research and Development initiatives. Through Canada's Economic Action Plan, the Government is contributing close to $5 billion toward Science and Technology, one of the single-largest S&T investments in our history, stimulating economic productivity, competitiveness and growth to secure Canada's future.

MDA of Richmond, B.C., is internationally recognized for its expertise in the design and development of space robotics, space satellites and satellite components. MDA has also been a key partner with the Government of Canada in the design and development of the Canadarm, Canadarm2, RADARSAT-2, and Canada's contribution of an advanced meteorological weather station on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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News Release

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

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PM announces support for next generation of satellites

New Phase of RADARSAT will protect Arctic sovereignty, ecosystem and resources

August 25, 2010
Resolute Bay, Nunavut

Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced support for the next phase of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM), a system of three advanced remote sensing satellites.

"By supporting the world-class RADARSAT Constellation Mission, our Government will ensure Canada maintains its role as a world leader in aerospace technology," Prime Minister Harper said. "This cutting-edge project will create highly-skilled jobs, and attract the world's best scientists, technicians and engineers to Canada's world-renowned space industry."

The RADARSAT Constellation marks the next phase of Canada's efforts to use space to our advantage. From the unique vantage point of space, the RADARSAT Constellation will provide National Defence with daily coverage of Canada's land mass and ocean approaches from coast-to-coast-to-coast, especially in the Arctic, and support our troops deployed on active service in Canada and abroad.

"The RADARSAT project has consistently allowed us to defend our Arctic sovereignty, protect the Arctic ecosystem, and develop our resources," said Prime Minister Harper. "This new phase of RADARSAT will ensure we stay at the forefront of these priorities."

Through Budget 2010, the Harper Government announced additional support for the Canadian Space Agency to develop the RADARSAT Constellation Mission. Government support for the RCM will advance the Government's priority to position Canada as a key player in advanced research and space technology development.

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The Prime Minister's Office - Communications
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