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Conservative Defence Critic O'Connor: Liberals Failing in Sovereignty Defence |
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Written by CPC
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Tuesday, 20 December 2005 |
Conservative Defence Critic Gordon O’Connor yesterday called Paul Martin’s war of words with the United States phony and this undesirable trait was revealed again on Monday with reports that an American nuclear submarine traveled through Canadian Arctic waters last month without the knowledge of, or permission from the government of Canada.
“Over the past 12 years the Liberals have failed to enforce our sovereignty and increase security in the North,” said O’Connor. “The Liberal government has been undermining Canada’s sovereignty over our northern territory and its vast natural resources by failing to properly defend the far North.”
O’Connor continued, “The government is refusing to say whether it gave permission for this particular voyage – which leads me to ask:
- Did the government know about this particular voyage into Canadian waters by a U.S. nuclear submarine?
- If they were aware, did they grant permission for the voyage to take place?
- If they did not grant permission to the U.S., have they contacted the appropriate authorities to protest this violation of Canadian sovereignty, and what concrete steps has the government taken to ensure that this will not continue to happen?
- How many other unauthorized foreign naval voyages have occurred in Canadian territorial waters without the permission or knowledge of the Canadian government?
“It has been common knowledge for more than a decade that nuclear submarines from the United States, Russia, China, France, and Great Britain pass through our territory without necessarily seeking permission from the government of Canada. In international law, sovereignty must be enforced to be recognized. A Conservative government will enforce our sovereignty in the North,” said O’Connor.
“Paul Martin’s record of failure in standing up for Canada’s Arctic sovereignty is proof that his war of words with the United States is just more phoney election rhetoric,” O’Connor concluded. |
