If I understand the question correctly, Mr. Chair, I think I would say that having a presence in the north is fundamental to asserting sovereignty over it.
I'm not sure if it was my comment or General Kelsey's that you were referring to, but I think the idea there is that socio-economic development in the north and continuing to support northern communities and allowing them to flourish are as important to Canadian sovereignty in the north as having the military capabilities to actively defend it.
I'll just take a moment here to briefly say that as we pursue potential investments in NORAD modernization, we've conducted a fair bit of informal consultation with northern communities in advance of that and would continue to do so once decisions are taken as we get into implementation, in order to make sure that in every investment we make in the kinds of things we're looking to do, we're seeking out opportunities for dual benefits and to support the needs of local communities as well.