Tories quietly expand NORAD
[DIV class=subheadline]Signing ceremony kept under wraps
New pact includes maritime defence
[DIV class=pubdate]Apr. 29, 2006. 01:00 AM
[DIV class=byline]BRUCE CAMPION-SMITH
[DIV class=byline]OTTAWA BUREAU[/DIV]
[DIV class=articlebody][!-- icx_story_begin --]OTTAWA—Stephen Harper's government has quietly committed Canada to "indefinite" participation in NORAD and agreed to give the military alliance new responsibilities to watch for a terror attack by sea.
Fresh off his softwood lumber truce, Harper's government yesterday gave another boost to Canada-U.S. relations when it signed off on the renewal of the landmark North American Aerospace Defence Command treaty.
Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor and David Wilkins, the U.S. ambassador in Canada, signed the new pact at a "ceremony in Ottawa," according to Janelle Hironimus, a spokesperson with the U.S. State Department.
Yet in Ottawa, officials with the Harper government tried to keep word of the renewal under wraps.
There was no notification of any signing ceremony.
Officials at both the foreign affairs department and defence department initially refused to confirm that a deal had been signed.
But after persistent questioning, defence officials finally acknowledged that the two nations had brokered a new defence agreement.
"The text of a renewed NORAD agreement was signed in Ottawa on April 28 by the Minister of National Defence and the U.S. ambassador, which signals the end of the negotiating process," O'Connor spokesperson Étienne Allard said yesterday afternoon.
"As per our campaign promise, the new agreement will be tabled in Parliament for debate," he said in an email.
Calls to Harper's office were not returned.
With Canadian officials saying nothing, it was left to U.S. officials to lay out the details of the renewal.
"The new agreement expands NORAD's mission by adding maritime warning to NORAD's aerospace defence mission," Hironimus said.
This will be a first for the joint Canada-United States defence agency, which in the past has been responsible only for guarding the skies over North America.
The new responsibility involves watching the coasts for suspicious vessels that could be used for a terror attack, a serious threat that has been a concern to both countries. But the vigilance also includes watching for drug traffickers and human smugglers too.
Unlike the current agreement, which will expire on May 12, this new deal will run indefinitely, "acknowledging the mature nature of the U.S.-Canadian defence partnership," Hironimus said.
The NORAD agreement, which was signed in 1996 and revisited in 2000, was amended in 2004 to give it the task of missile tracking and warning as part of the controversial U.S missile-defence program.
However, in a decision that chilled Canada-U.S. relations, former prime minister Paul Martin announced in February 2005 that Canada would not take part in missile defence.
This new deal means NORAD will still track incoming missiles for the U.S. defence program, but Hironimus said it doesn't mean the controversial question of Canada's involvement will be re-opened.
"Canada's decision is not affected by this agreement and the U.S. is not seeking Canadian participation in the missile-defence program," she said.
While the Conservatives are sure to trumpet the deal as yet further proof of improving relations with the U.S., negotiations for the renewal were "largely completed" before they took office in February, Hironimus said.
The months since then have been taken up with legal reviews and the internal approval process, she said.
The deal does not require approval of the U.S. Congress since it's classed as an "executive agreement," she said, adding that congressional leaders would be briefed on details of the new agreement.
In Canada, opposition politicians will get their own briefing on Monday in advance of a debate on the new pact on Wednesday.
And the Conservative government has relented and will allow a vote on the agreement on Thursday, Parliament Hill sources say.
Earlier, U.S. officials had said that Harper's government was prepared to allow only a debate on the treaty — but no vote. That would have broken a Conservative campaign pledge to let the Commons ratify international treaties.
NORAD, established in 1958 to protect Canada and the United States from Soviet bombers, found new purpose in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
It was given the task of standing ready to intercept a hijacked airline and new rules of engagement were written should the day come when Canadian or U.S. fighter jets might be called on to shoot one down.[/DIV]
