Canada says no to missile defense

[RACooper]

Well it looks like the government has finally decided to say no to participating in the US's missile defense system... glad to see it was either say yes or reliquinsh soveriegnty

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...le_defence&e=3

U.S. says Canada relinquishing sovereignty with No to missile shield

ALEXANDER PANETTA

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's announcement that it won't join the U.S. missile shield provoked an immediate warning that it has relinquished sovereignty over its airspace.

From now on, the U.S. government will control any decision to fire at incoming missiles over Canadian territory, declared the top U.S. envoy to Canada.

"We will deploy. We will defend North America," said Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

"We simply cannot understand why Canada would in effect give up its sovereignty - its seat at the table - to decide what to do about a missile that might be coming towards Canada."

The response came just moments after Prime Minister Paul Martin ended months of ambiguity Thursday by announcing that he would not sign on to the controversial missile-defence program.

The warning was no slip of the tongue: Cellucci repeated several times that Canada's decision had in effect handed over some of its sovereignty to the United States.

"I personally don't think it's in Canada's sovereign interest to be outside of the room when a decision is made about a missile that might be incoming towards Canada."

Cellucci said he understood the political "challenge" that made it difficult for Martin's minority government to accept missile defence - and agreed it was Canada's right to make a decision.

The formal announcement completed a lengthy retreat for Martin, who expressed support for the project last year in his early days in office, then qualified his support, and finally fell almost silent on the issue.

Still, even the final announcement was not without confusion.

Martin said he would expect to be consulted on what to do about any missile passing over Canada.

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew, however, seemed to indicate the ultimate decision lies in U.S. hands - whether or not Canada ever joins the missile shield.

"Would it have been otherwise?" he replied when asked whether Canada's refusal to join means the country now officially relies on the United States for protection.

"Canada . . . must act in its own interests and must determine where its priorities lie," Pettigrew said as he made the formal announcement in the House of Commons. "After careful consideration of the issue, we have decided that Canada will not participate in the U.S. ballistic missile defence system."

He said the decision is based on sound policy principles rather than emotion.

Martin insisted the move won't hurt relations with the U.S.

"Canada and the United States remain one another's staunchest allies and closest friends . . . and we will continue to ensure that our overall relationship grows stronger and that our people enjoy increased security and prosperity."

He said though Canada remains deeply committed to security, "ballistic missile defence is not where we will concentrate our efforts."

Instead, Canada will work on border security, reinforcing coastal and Arctic sovereignty and expanding the military.

"As part of this, Canada remains steadfast in its support of Norad," he said.

Martin noted that the $13 billion in new military funding announced in Wednesday's federal budget is "a tangible indication that Canada intends to carry its full share of that responsibility."

Pettigrew said he told his U.S. counterpart of the decision Tuesday at the NATO summit in Belgium attended by both Martin and U.S. President George W. Bush.

"Of course the U.S. is disappointed, but they recognize our decision," Pettigrew said.

Neither Martin nor Pettigrew explained precisely why they oppose missile defence, but opponents, including the NDP, argue it may trigger a new arms race.

The NDP immediately hailed the decision.

Critics also question why the elaborate plan is necessary in a post-Cold War climate where the U.S. government is fighting low-budget terrorist operations, not state-run communism.

Supporters of the scheme contend Canada will sit on the sidelines without any say over how the system is used, without any access to billions in related research contracts, and without any political credit from Washington.

Any plans to join the project were buried under a wave of political resistance - from the NDP, the Bloc Quebecois and many Liberals - that Martin's minority government did not risk trying to overcome.

Polls have suggested most Canadians oppose the project and Martin might even have faced a revolt within his own Liberal caucus.

Coming on the heels of Canada's refusal to join the U.S.-led war in Iraq (news - web sites), Thursday's announcement marked a second major break with the United States over a military project.

Martin had promised a new era of Canada-U.S. relations after bitter divisions over the war in Iraq. But U.S. officials had warned it would be an inauspicious start to any new era if Canada refused to join the missile plan.

They privately expressed befuddlement, frustration and even mild amusement at how long it took for Martin to make an announcement.

Bush raised the issue repeatedly during a trip to Canada late last year and, against all expectations, publicly requested Martin's support with the prime minister sitting by his side.

Martin's waiting game became increasingly untenable in recent days.

The Conservatives had not budged from their silence on the issue in an attempt to isolate the Liberals, who also faced a bruising battle over missile defence at its March convention.

The final straw came this week when Frank McKenna, Ottawa's ambassador-designate to Washington, triggered a flood of attacks on the government by saying Canada was already effectively part of missile defence.

Canadian soldiers are part of the Colorado-based Norad program that monitors the skies for incoming missiles.

But the Canadian government has repeatedly insisted their agreement last August to amend the longstanding Norad pact so that Canada will pass information along to U.S. officials didn't mean Canada had joined the project.

Missile defence supporters said the program wouldn't have cost Canada a dime, nor would it have placed missiles on Canadian soil.

U.S. officials have indicated they didn't really need Canada's help, but would have appreciated political support from their neighbour as they attempted to sell the plan abroad.