Mr. Speaker, Russia and the U.S. have agreed to further reduce their arsenals of intercontinental nuclear weapons. This should have received more attention in Canada as we lie on the track of such weapons.
Only a few years ago we were very aware that we are the buffer between the U.S. and Russia. In those days we were very conscious of the strategic significance of the Canadian north.
That north is just as important today. Those who live there are proud and important Canadians. Their roles as custodians of the human, biological and physical resources of the north are even more important today. As global warming proceeds and arctic sea routes open up, their role for us with respect to the Arctic Ocean becomes increasingly important.
Fewer nuclear weapons is good news for Canada but it should stimulate us to take a greater, not lesser, interest in northern and circumpolar affairs.