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Politics : War -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bald Eagle who wrote (13813)	4/18/2002 12:11:19 PM
From: GUSTAVE JAEGER	Respond to of 23908

Re: Looks like we should communicate better with our allies. Yeah... Hopefully, such tragic blunders will pretty soon be a thing of the past --I guess that, by now, even the most jingoistic Canucks have seen the light: PM sees no threat in new U.S. command Last Updated Wed, 17 Apr 2002 23:16:29 OTTAWA - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien is sure the U.S. government's decision to create a defence command covering North America from the Caribbean to the Arctic won't impinge on Canadian sovereignty. Northern Command, announced in Washington Wednesday, gives U.S. Air Force General Ralph Eberhart a force including tanks, troops, planes and ships assigned to defend the continent. "It is their own business," Chrétien said in the House of Commons. "The defence of Canada will be assured by the Canadian government and not by the American government." But it's not that simple, critics say. The NDP's Bill Blaikie worried about the impact on Canadian sovereignty, while Alliance leader John Reynolds said the government should be helping the Americans as much as possible. Government ministers have not said exactly what the impact of the U.S. move will be, but Defence Minister Art Eggleton said Canadian and U.S. military planners are working on it. "We will continue to explore ways that we can co-operate together in terms of our mutual interest," he said. But if those interests diverge it could lead to unexpected military, financial and diplomatic issues. One observer wondered whether Canada's tolerant policy towards Cuba and the U.S. hard line towards the communist island might come into conflict in Northern Command. Or if the command decides its forces need expensive new equipment, would Canada be under pressure to put up extra cash? The new command is closely tied to NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command. Canada is a full partner in the command, set up in the Cold War to defend the continent from bomber or missile attack. NORAD's second in command is usually a Canadian officer. Gen. Eberhart heads NORAD, and Northern Command's new headquarters will be close to NORAD's in Colorado. With the close links between Northern Command and NORAD, Canada has a lot at stake. And already there is an issue looming on the horizon. U.S. President George Bush said Wednesday that the United States will go ahead with its planned missile defence shield. NORAD is expected to play a key role. Written by CBC News Online staff cbc.ca