Intruders in the North

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I am always amazed at the complacency that my fellow Canadians show when there is an incursion or show of force by a foreign power in Canadian airspace. I realize that Canadians are as a rule  not a very confrontational group of people and they still think that their Armed Forces could better be utilized in the role of "Peace Keeper".
The recent interception of two long range Russian Bombers over the Canadian North, should be a very big cause for concern. The frequency and length of time that these over flight patrols are taking is increasing, and keep in mind these flights are often conducted with live Nuclear Warheads.
When the U.S. Conducted armed and un armed Cruise Missile tests in Canadian Air Space in the 80's and 90's, people lost their minds. I recall seeing Cruise Missile Nets sent into the air with hot air balloons, in a ridiculous attempt to intercept these Missiles. But when the Russian's come knocking on our northern coastline, the worst people can say is that the government is playing up this incident to bolster its position on the purchase of new fighter aircraft.
Canadians need to pay attention to the world around them, and to this simple rule of thumb, "if you can't defend it, you can't keep it". The opposite to this is, that if our northern coast line is indefensible, or better to say if it can not be defended, Canadians need to be prepared to give it to some one who can.
Make no mistake that the Americans are well aware of Canada's defense capabilities and would have no problem "Assisting" in defense of the north. We must also keep in mind that if Canadians fail in their responsibility to defend Canada's sovereignty, the US Government will be more than happy to do it for us and in so doing strengthen their claim to our north as well.
It wasn't that long ago that the US Navy poked a nuclear Sub's Conning Tower through the Polar Ice cap, also without the permission of the Canadian Government. They did nearly the same thing as the Russians did and for the same purpose, to show, the flag and to say "we can do this anytime we want".
Canadians need to wake up to the fact that the natural resources within our borders make this country an industrial power house. In the not to distant future, as natural resources around the world dwindle, the ability for Canada and Canadians to defend our own borders proportionately to emerging threats brought on by dependence on country sustaining necessities such as oil and natural gas, must increase to maintain our own sovereignty.


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