Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thanks to our witnesses, especially for the Auditor General's report and the very good work done by your department.
I'll begin with a quote from the Nunatsiaq News on August 5, 2015, which reads:
Russia is seeking to expand its Arctic territory—by 1.2 million square kilometres in the resource-rich Arctic waters around the North Pole.
That’s the gist of Russia’s new submission to the United Nations for the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which claims “the seabed and its subsoil in the central Arctic Ocean which is natural prolongation of the Russian land territory.”
Yes, that was eight years ago now, but this is from Mr. Putin just a month ago, in a Reuters article from Moscow on January 27, 2023. It said:
President Vladimir Putin held talks on Friday with top security officials about the status of Russia's efforts to legally expand the outer boundaries of its continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean.
Russia in 2021 filed a submission to the United Nations seeking to redefine its continental shelf, which is believed to contain vast untapped reservoirs of oil and gas. Moscow said at the time it wanted much more Arctic seabed, a move that has implications for Canada and Denmark who have their own claims.
Putin is a very real and present threat to our Canadian Arctic security and sovereignty.
I asked Minister Anand specifically about Arctic sovereignty on May 3, 2022. My question to her was:
Mr. Speaker, the NDP-Liberal budget proves once again that the current government is all talk and no action. Instead of a plan to protect our Arctic sovereignty and security, all we got was a reannouncement of NORAD's existing infrastructure and that the government is considering its options.
We heard that again today. My question continued:
Our Arctic sovereignty and security cannot be protected by more Liberal empty promises. Will the minister, who continues to fail to defend our north, stand up and explain?
Her answer was:
Mr. Speaker, Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic is secure....
Her answer went on, but still, that's her premise.
From the Auditor General's report, we're clearly not anywhere near having a secure Arctic. I'll go to the recommendations in the report. Recommendation 6.12 on page 7 reads:
Overall, the federal government has not taken the required action to address long-standing gaps affecting its surveillance of Canada’s Arctic waters. As a result, the federal organizations that are responsible for safety and security in the Arctic region do not have a full awareness of maritime activities in Arctic waters and are not ready to respond to increased surveillance requirements.
I'll go on to 6.13, the section below, which reads:
The long-standing issues include incomplete surveillance, insufficient data about vessel traffic in Canada’s Arctic waters, poor means of sharing information on maritime traffic, and outdated equipment. The renewal of vessels, aircraft, satellites, and infrastructure that support monitoring maritime traffic and responding to safety and security incidents has fallen behind to the point where some will likely cease to operate before they can be replaced. For example, the Canadian Coast Guard and Transport Canada risk losing presence in Arctic waters as their aging icebreakers and patrol aircraft near the end of their service lives and are likely to be retired before a new fleet can be launched.
We are hardly in a good place in the Arctic, despite the minister's wanting to reassure us that we're good.
I'll ask the DMs from defence, transport and environment to please respond.