Defence plan concerns Inuit organizations
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Iqaluit (Feb 12/01) - A subtle shift in the Canadian government's tone on anti-missile defence has Inuit organizations taking notice.
Among the topics discussed by Prime Minister Jean Chretien and new U.S. president George W. Bush last week was Canada's involvement in a proposed American missile defence system.
"We have not been consulted on talks at all, we have not been given any information," said James Eetoolook, first vice-president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI).
He believes testing of an anti-missile defence system could take place in the North.
"We have to be consulted at least; we have a settled area in Nunavut," he added.
Eetoolook echoed statements by the president of Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC), the national organization representing Inuit.
"If there was an anti-missile centre it would obviously be in the Canadian Arctic and it would be on Inuit lands," said Jose Kusugak. "We would have to be involved because it is in the land claim agreement."
Inuit concerns were not shared by defence experts.
Dr. James Fergusson, deputy director of the centre for security studies at the University of Manitoba, said worries of testing over the Arctic is unwarranted.
The chance of testing anti-missile devices over the Arctic is "near zero," he said.
"There are no plans nor a need to test anti-missile systems over Canada," Fergusson said. "The important thing for Inuit is not that set of issues."
All American testing takes place from a launch site in California.
Missiles are targeted while they're in outer space, over the Pacific Ocean and burn up on re-entry.
Fergusson said there is a possibility that radar sites already in the North could be upgraded.
"But there is no indication that is even being considered."
Kusugak said the issue goes deeper than that. If the subject is being publicly
talked about he believes ITC has a right to be in on it.
"At the moment (testing) seems pretty improbable," he said.
"It's just the fact that if testing is talked about in the Arctic then land claimant groups have to be involved."
