A former foreign affairs minister is at odds with Stephen Harper over Canadian policy in the Arctic.
Lloyd Axworthy, who held numerous Cabinet posts under Liberal prime ministers Pierre Trudeau, John Turner and Jean Chretien, said Canada should lead an international effort to demilitarize the Arctic and declare it a nuclear-free zone.
The Harper government wants to increase Canada’s military presence in the North through light naval icebreakers, a new deep-water base and more winter warfare exercises.
But Axworthy said Canada’s efforts pale in comparison to the billions being spent by Russia. He noted that even Norway is spending more on defence than Canada.
Axworthy made the comments Wednesday at a Canadian Defence Association Institute symposium on the effects of climate change on security policy.
Axworthy said there’s very little international framework governing the Far North as the United Nations prepares to begin drawing boundaries between nations in the next few years.
Other than the Arctic Council, Axworthy said, there are few international mechanisms to deal with disagreements that come up as global warming opens northern shipping lanes and resource exploration.
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