Unfortunately, I have a lot of topics to cover during my seven minutes, but I want to say that, in my opinion, satellite observation is the best way to monitor Canada's north. I made that recommendation in the document that I wrote in 2001, a copy of which was given to you.
In fact, I recommended that photos of the entry points into Canada's Arctic be taken every day using RADARSAT-2. That means taking a photo of an area that a ship cannot cross in the space of one day. Every day, photos are taken of the entry points. Take the example of where Alaska and Yukon come together, and ships from the west. One box more or less covers the Alaskan side so that ships can be seen before they arrive from Canada. If we can compare that information with that of NordREG, we can have a good idea of who is approaching us.
I am told that RADARSAT-2 has been operational since November of last year. I do not know to what extent the information has been integrated for the purpose of producing intelligence. In the past, I had recommended that that information be received by our headquarters in Yellowknife. So, there would be NordREG, the coast guard, satellite photographs and other systems. A surface radar system that was supposed to be used to view ships was cancelled at the last minute.
All that to say that I completely agree. That is one of the recommendations I made. In fact, I made a presentation to the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development to block the sale of RADARSAT-2.