National Defence Committee on Sept. 18th, 2025

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

We're going to get credit for all the dollars without any defence capability. The science vessels are in there, as are the commercial navigation and commercial icebreaking vessels. There are a number of things that they do, but we actually don't get any kinetic power from that to help the Canadian Armed Forces in protecting Canada.

[Robert Ritchie]

If the proposed mandate is approved through the change to the act, sovereignty will indeed be strengthened. We'll have enhanced maritime domain awareness and an integrated recognized maritime picture.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

General, come on. The Coast Guard's been out there for the last 100 years and has never counted towards being part of our national defence matrix. It definitely isn't a paramilitary organization. It doesn't have the interdiction capabilities. They can't even fine anyone for a fishing violation. They have to bring on fisheries officers to do that. We can't just have creative accounting to get to 2%; we actually need capability to protect Canada and our sovereignty.

[Robert Ritchie]

If the mandate is adjusted to reflect the onboarding of the Canadian Coast Guard inside defence, we will see an additive output in the sharing of information and intelligence value that we'll be able to extract from the Canadian Coast Guard. As the Coast Guard is employed within a system of systems, we think there will be significant additive offence to surveillance and the defence of Canada.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

As long as there's equipment to back that up and actually feed into the overall security and intelligence-gathering systems, then yes, but as it stands today, they don't provide any of that.

Mr. Laporte, you also mentioned that every time Canada sails through the Strait of Taiwan, we're called into the embassy or our foreign service in Beijing gets called in and is issued a démarche. Do we issue a démarche to the People's Republic of China when they sail into the Beaufort Sea?

[Eric Laporte]

I'm not aware of any recent démarches following a Chinese vessel sailing into the Beaufort Sea. Maybe historically we have done it.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

Should we?

[Eric Laporte]

Perhaps.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

They're 250 miles from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories borders.

[Eric Laporte]

Our economic exclusive zone extends to 200 nautical miles, so if they're outside of it, they're legitimately allowed there. They're also, under UNCLOS, allowed to go into EEZs of other countries as a normal course of passage.

[James Bezan, Conservative, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, MB]

I know that the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard were monitoring those vessels while they were in our Arctic region. Were Canadian frigate and/or Coast Guard vessels also monitoring in the region, or did we do that strictly from an air force standpoint?

[Robert Ritchie]

First, that's one of the mission sets of the NORAD binational command, as you know well, and therefore NORAD.... It was both Canadian and U.S. assets. Canadian assets were deployed into the region under a number of different operations. We were monitoring, conducting integrated surveillance and passing intelligence across the apparatus of the Canadian government as well as sharing it with U.S. and NORAD headquarters.

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

Thank you, General Ritchie.

I do remind others that we're probably going to have a discussion about the Coast Guard in one of the motions that you put forward.

I realize that all of us here also know that we just invested another $2 billion to augment the Canadian Armed Forces in regard to their pay raise and so forth.

I am now going over to Sherry Romanado for four minutes.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I can understand that my colleagues across the way voted against the $9.3 billion we just invested to get to 2%, and maybe the frustration is there, but climate change is a real global problem. It's having a particularly serious effect on our Arctic and northern regions, presenting new and escalating challenges with a range of implications for Canada's security.

Canada's defence policy update, “Our North, Strong and Free”, is focused on the defence of the Arctic. Can you explain how Canada's work to defend the Arctic is part of defending NATO's northern flank?

[Eric Laporte]

That's absolutely correct. The Canadian Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence and other entities of the Canadian government are actively engaged in supporting sovereignty and defence of the Arctic.

In NATO itself, the area of operations of NATO as SACEUR is continental Europe and into the Atlantic. The Canadian Arctic is not part of the NATO area of operation. It is part of the NORAD area of operation. With that said, everything we do in our Arctic helps to contribute to strengthening, supporting and defending the northern and western flanks of the alliance.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

In terms of our maritime awareness, our NORAD agreement and the modernization of NORAD, could you elaborate a little more on why the investments and getting to the 2% are so important in terms of our continental defence?

[Robert Ritchie]

First, we have current capability through the North Warning System and other infrastructure, the radar station network that was built between 1986 and 1992. As this forum knows well, new and accelerating threats are challenging that antiquated technology. Therefore, investments have been made in NORAD modernization, in both Arctic over-the-horizon as well as polar over-the-horizon capabilities.

I will also say that integrated air and missile defence is exceptionally topical and important. When we talk about visualizing a Canadian continental shield, in the United States they have the U.S. “golden dome”. Generally speaking, this is a system of systems that allows you to sense and react to incoming threats that eclipse our North Warning System, but for which the investments made, and soon to be realized, are going to position us to better deal with those accelerating threats.

[Sherry Romanado, Liberal, Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, QC]

Mr. Chair, I'd like to give my remaining time to Monsieur Savard-Tremblay, because it's very difficult for him to have only two and a half minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

Thank you, Ms. Romanado.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

I wasn't expecting to have a little more speaking time. How much time do I have, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Charles Sousa]

You have two and a half minutes.

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

I thought you were giving me part of the last speaking time.

Mr. Laporte, I had intended to ask you a question at the end of the meeting, when we were shaking hands with the witnesses. I'd like to know more about the screening mechanism for shipments. You said earlier that there were different categories of chips and that the border service did the screening.

Is it when the goods are shipped? Is it when the shipment is registered? In other words, at what point does the exporter make a declaration on the nature of the goods?

Also, is there a list of countries to watch a little more closely? Without going into too much detail, please help us sort it all out. Earlier, you told me that you were not an expert in this technology. Tell us about the security-related export categories.

[Eric Laporte]

Thank you for your question.

In fact, there are several layers.

There is a watch list of products and countries. When a Canadian company wants to export a product, it needs to ask the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development whether the product is on that list and obtain its permission. We then analyze the product or component and consult with the Department of National Defence and other organizations, including security services, to try to find out more about the recipient. At that point, permission can be granted or denied.

We look at the type of product to be exported and the recipient country. We look at the impact that the export of a product could have on a country's regional security, on human rights and on Canada's national interest.

Our colleagues at the CBSA, the Canada Border Services Agency, also conduct border checks—

[Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay, Bloc, Saint-Hyacinthe—Bagot—Acton, QC]

Are they random?

[Eric Laporte]

I can't tell you, because I don't know.

If the committee would like, perhaps it could get an explanation from our experts on exports and controls.