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Pastimes : What's Up with Canada these Days??
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To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (28)3/1/2005 12:26:16 PM
From: SofaSpud  Read Replies (1) of 45
 
Did Canada ever warn the Soviet Union that it could not violate Canadian airspace if it launched on the US?

LOL. There actually was a constituency here that thought if we declared ourselves a "nuclear free" zone that the Soviets would defer to that. There's still the odd town that has a "Nuclear weapons free" sign under the "Welcome to ..." sign.

If the Soviets ever sent bombers into North America, I thought Canadian fighters were supposed to help shoot them down. No?

Of course. We participated in the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line of radar stations, which were on our soil. We even briefly allowed RCAF interceptors to be equipped with U.S. nuclear-tipped Bomarc air-to-air missiles against the Soviet bomber threat (although that dispute did contribute to the fall of a government).

The interesting case was over cruise missile testing in the early 80s. Canada, of course, has miles and miles of miles and miles, much of which looks like the USSR, so it made a whole bunch of sense to test the (then) new cruise missile guidance technology here. There was a big stink, the usual suspects protested, etc. The govt. of the day held their noses (Liberals) and explained that we were a NATO ally, and that this was part of the bargain. Testing went ahead. What a difference a couple of decades make.

If true, they're crazy.

I have no doubt whatever that it's true. The astonishing thing is how far we've gotten away from the concept of 'statesmen'. It's petty politics at its apogee, it's the Liberal imperative to do whatever it takes to win in the short term. 'Sad' doesn't begin to describe it.
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