National Defence committee  Do you mean in governing who goes through or enabling who goes through?

National Defence committee  The cluster is made up of approximately 50 companies and growing, all dedicated to harsh-environment technology and the development of marine technology. Apart from our centre, there's also the entire Marine Institute, and the National Research Council's Institute for Ocean Technology, which has the largest ice and wave tanks in the world, where a tremendous amount of research is going on in terms of really looking at evacuation and survival in the Arctic.

National Defence committee  Well, the oil companies that were undertaking exploration in the Beaufort Sea came to the government and said they weren't going to wait, that they had the ability, and that they were going to advance the science. If government would meet them halfway, they said, they would provide their own icebreaking services and advance the technology.

National Defence committee  Our largest and most capable icebreaker is something like 30 years old—the Louis S. St-Laurent.

National Defence committee  I've been watching the story of the Arctic offshore patrol vessels with a great degree of interest, because in my own opinion I'm a little bit skeptical as to the design of the vessels. An icebreaking vessel is purpose-built and specially designed for just that, for operating in ice.

National Defence committee  Of course they will. In the very Byzantine world of marine insurance, you are defined by what's called your warranty limits, where your vessel is insurable to sail. There are specific regimes, we'll call them, within the insurance industry for vessels that are moving into the Arctic.

National Defence committee  The Northwest Passage, as I say, is not just one single passage. There is a main Northwest Passage. If you were going up the Davis Strait, and you're going to head west, then you're in the Northwest Passage.

National Defence committee  No.

National Defence committee  The Northwest Passage is typically across the top of North America, either direction.

National Defence committee  East or west, it's always the Northwest Passage. It's termed the Northwest Passage. It's an historical reference. It was from the British Admiralty and other groups trying to find their way to India and Asia. It's the fabled Northwest Passage. There was never much thought of coming east through this passage.

National Defence committee  No, no.

National Defence committee  Your first question, about the vessels of opportunity, that's primarily an industry term for vessels that are available for charter. If I'm a mining operator and I need my ore to get out, I'll either have engaged a company who owns ships to do that--that's a liner service--or I'll engage a vessel that's outside of that to come in for one or two loads.

National Defence committee  I have crossed the Arctic Circle 16 times.

National Defence committee  Well, you're looking at an area that's completely under-developed in terms of enabling shipping activity. Probably I should clarify that there won't be any dramatic increase in shipping activity in the Arctic overnight. It just won't happen. I guess the main issue that causes a lot of concern, when I compare it to the northern sea route in Russia, is that with a transit through an area--I'm sailing from this place and I'm going to this place, and I'm going to sail a particular route that gets me there quicker--I'm only going to do it because it's economically feasible.

National Defence committee  I think the Arctic Council are doing quite a good job. They're dealing with an onerous task because of the issues that are being faced in the Arctic now as to who owns what and who has responsibility over what. In my humble opinion, more teeth need to be put into this kind of committee so that this group has the ability to enforce what it sees as best practices.