Dion and Arctic Sovereignty

[Bandit1]

Thought you might all enjoy a good chuckle...Lord knows I did. 

Dion suggests ways to assert Canadian arctic sovereignty
The Canadian Press

December 8, 2007 at 7:52 PM EST

Yellowknife — Federal Liberal Stephane Dion says a move as simple as stationing a handful of search and rescue planes could help stake out sovereignty over Canada's North.

Mr. Dion promised a Liberal government would station two planes in Yellowknife and two in Iqaluit, in order to foster both development and a sense that Canada is caring for people who live in the North.

“This is something important to do for the people here, to have economic opportunity but also to, again, establish our sovereignty, to show that when it's time to rescue life in the north, Canadians are well-equipped.”

At the Yellowknife airport before departing for Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Mr. Dion also said he would make another move to show a Liberal government would take care of the north.

“We'll re-establish the ambassador for the Arctic, something the Conservatives have shamefully cut,” he said.

He plans to highlight his experiences from his three-day swing through the Arctic when meeting with international leaders about climate change in Bali, Indonesia.

He says key issues he'll raise will be the massive infrastructure woes that will be caused by melting permafrost and the potential for species to become extinct as temperatures rise.

“All these buildings, these roads have been created with the certainty the permafrost would stay frozen, and now, because of climate change, it's changing, and it will create a huge infrastructure cost in the North,” he said.

In an earlier stop in Whitehorse, Mr. Dion pledged to create a centre to study how the North can adapt to climate change, and added similar facilities may make sense in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071208.wdion_north1208/BNStory/National/

Bandit

 

[aesop081]

Mr. Dion

We have aircraft based in Yellowknife. They have 2 engines, are painted yellow and have "rescue" painted on them.

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/17wing/squadron/440_e.asp

 

[JBoyd]

Mr. Dion

We have aircraft based in Yellowknife. They have 2 engines, are painted yellow and have "rescue" painted on them.

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/17wing/squadron/440_e.asp

No one ever said Dion was playing with a full deck

 

[aesop081]

I was in error.  I just reviewed pictures of the CC-138 and the word "rescue" is not on the aircrafts

 

[eurowing]

I love Stephan Dion.  Best thing to happen to the Conservative Party in years!

I can see it now....  Launch the SAR L-19

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/site/equip/historical/birddoglst_e.asp

 

[George Wallace]

I was in error.  I just reviewed pictures of the CC-138 and the word "rescue" is not on the aircrafts

Usually the Yellow with Red 'facings' is indication enough that it is a SAR aircraft, but used for other purposes when required.

 

[Good2Golf]

Confirm that Dion has pledged to cut the number of aircraft from 4 to 2 in Yellowknife?  Isn't that a 50% reduction in presence in that region?  ???

 

[aesop081]

Confirm that Dion has pledged to cut the number of aircraft from 4 to 2 in Yellowknife?  Isn't that a 50% reduction in presence in that region?  ???

He would presumably move the other 2 to Iqualuit ?

 

[eurowing]

4 airframes usually = 2 fliers.  Good luck with 2 in each spot. 
Knitting the techs and aircrew to augment the Sqn to hold Ops in 2 places, or even to stand up a new Sqn. Good luck with that.
There is so much more I could say, but can't.

I am offended that he is only recognizing Nunavat and the NWT.  I am from Yukon and feel slighted. :crybaby:

Sheesh

 

[Good2Golf]

So what Dion really should have said was "A Liberal Government would direct that two of the CC-138 Twin Otters currently operated from Yellowknife be moved to Inuvik."

Questions: New unit?  Lack of efficiencies by splitting up the operating bases with such small numbers of airframes? etc... 

This really demonstrates how Dion has absolutely no clue.  It's like putting a band-aid on your elbow after you scrape your knee... :

G2G 

 

[aesop081]

His story does not pass on another count either.

Placing 2 aircraft in Yellowknife will not foster developement as we already have aircraft there. The diamond mining industry is driving the developement there anyways from what i have seen during my trips to Yellowknife. I fail to see how basing 2 aircraft in Iqualuit will do anything for the area , developement -wise.  We already have an FOL there so its not like we have to build extensive facilities there.

 

[Boxkicker]

Let see:

  Tory plan;  Deep water port some sort of armed naval warship that is Ice capable,with helicopters.

  Liberal plan; take two of the aircraft we have in Yellowknife send them to Iqaluit.

  HMMM lets see in one we have new capabilities that can operate all year round in good and bad weather much further out than a twin otter can. So lets do the math Dion is an idiot he does not know what we already have in place and most Canadians are so apathetic they don't care.
 

 

[MarkOttawa]

A letter sent to the Toronto Star and (so far) unpublished:

So Stephane Dion says that "stationing a handful of search-and-rescue planes could help stake out sovereignty over Canada's North."

M. Dion has a strange appreciation of the issues. No-one is questioning Canadian sovereignty over land in the north (the Danes and Hans Island aside). What is in doubt, in terms of international law, is Canadian sovereignty over the waterways comprising the Northwest Passage (as well as part of the Beaufort Sea).

The four aircraft that M. Dion suggests would do nothing to add substance to our maritime claims in dispute. Only government vessels asserting Canadian law--most sensibly from the Canadian Coast Guard which badly needs new icebreakers--can do that. M. Dion is either singularly ill-informed or else he is playing politics with serious issues regarding the equipment of the Canadian Forces and the Coast Guard.
http://toyoufromfailinghands.blogspot.com/2007/08/icebreakers-we-should-build.html

He would not do that, would he?

I might also have mentioned (space, you know) Twotters stationed at Yellowknife.

Mark
Ottawa

 

[I_am_John_Galt]

Isn't the knock against the EADS CASA C-295 that it would require more bases in the North in order to meet minimum response times?


Oh wait, sorry ... wrong thread.