Yellowknife (July 09/04) - A change of command Tuesday at the Canadian Forces Northern Area headquarters will not change the mandate of the armed forces in the North.

Colonel Normand Couturier has recently been stationed at the CFNA headquarters here in Yellowknife. He will continue with the goals of his predecessors. - Daniel T'seleie/NNSL photo

"The Canadian military presence in the North is key to sovereignty," said incoming Colonel Normand Couturier. Couturier is replacing Colonel Norris Pettis.

Also incoming was Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Fleet who is replacing Lieutenant-Colonel Scott Archer as the 440 Squadron commanding officer. Archer, in turn, will be taking the position held by lieutenant-colonel Dave Wheeler as CFNA chief of staff.

Their combined goal is to maintain Canadian sovereignty.

Canadian sovereignty

"Sovereignty is really the lands and oceans and airspace that Canada owns," said Rear Admiral Jean-Pierre Thiffault who came from Ottawa to preside over the change of command ceremony.

A military presence in the North acts as a deterrent to both commercial and military powers that may encroach on Canadian soil.

"You do not want an air force or a navy or an army showing up on your doorstep," Thiffault said.

Officials say surveillance of the North is crucial to maintaining sovereignty.

"For years now we have been extending our eyes and ears into the Arctic," Thiffault said. New satellites and ships will help monitor the Arctic seaways, says Thiffault, but the technology does not stop there. "We are experimenting with unmanned air vehicles in the North," Thiffault said.

Increased arctic patrols

With new technology and increased Arctic patrols the future of the military in the North is clear.

"Our presence throughout the North will continue to grow," Thiffault said.