National Defence committee  Let's return to the Canadian model. What comes up most often about the Canadian position in the Arctic regions is the support of the federal and provincial governments for indigenous communities. What really makes Canada strong in Arctic geopolitics are indigenous people first and foremost.

National Defence committee  I'm sorry. I didn't hear the question.

National Defence committee  Do you mean using rangers to help keep an eye on the infrastructure?

National Defence committee  I think Canada is doing what it can with the capabilities it has. Concerning the Arctic, there is often a tendency to compare Russia's capabilities to Canada's. But consider that a city like Murmansk in Russia has about 300,000 people, whereas there are no Arctic communities of 300,000 people at all in Canada.

National Defence committee  I can talk about the French armed forces, with whom I have spoken and worked. In bilateral and multilateral exercises, French soldiers from the Groupe militaire de haute montagne have worked with Canadian Rangers and have benefited from their advice. This is a very practical example.

National Defence committee  Yes and no. Actually, the rangers are part of the communities. In the north, for example, the rangers are Inuit living in Inuit communities. They are leaders who are part of those communities. So those resources are already very well used. Let me explain the situation a little more.

National Defence committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm very honoured to be invited to testify again. I hope the points I can bring to you today on the Canadian Ranger patrols will be helpful. Today we will focus on the role these patrols play in security in the Canadian Arctic, and what kind of security we're talking about—security for whom, why and how?