1 December 2004
Canada ties missile defence to NORAD talks
CTV.ca News Staff

"We also discussed ways to strengthen the security partnership that for more than six decades has helped to keep this continent peaceful and secure," Bush said in his prepared remarks at a news conference with Prime Minister Paul Martin.

"We talked about the future of Norad and how that organization can best meet emerging threats and safeguard our continent against attack from ballistic missiles."

According to CTV's Mike Duffy, Canadians didn't raise the issue of missile defence in their noon-hour meeting with Bush. The issue is considered a political hot potato for Martin's minority government.

The proposed anti-missile defence shield is something the U.S. wants in place over North America, in order to deal with potential threats from "rogue states" such as North Korea.

Apparently, the issue was put on hold, after a suggestion from Defence Minister Bill Graham that any agreement about missile defence be rolled into discussions on the future of NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command).

NORAD's area of responsibility for protecting North America against an aerospace attack stretches from Clear, Alaska to the Florida Keys and from St. John's, Newfoundland to San Diego, Calif.

Bill Graham said the NORAD agreement between Canada and US expires May 2006.

"Why don't we fold any discussion of missile defence into the NORAD agreement?" Duffy quoted Graham as saying.

"That would neatly take it off the table before the next Canadian election, wink wink, nudge nudge," Duffy added.

"The terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 prompted us to take a much closer look at North American security," Graham said in a joint statement with Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew on Monday.

Graham and Pettigrew announced that Canada and the U.S. agreed to extend the Bi-National Planning Group mandate to May 2006.

The Bi-National Planning Group is a joint Canada-U.S. military planning group located alongside Norad in Colorado Springs.

The Group's purpose is to improve bi-national military planning; particularly in the areas of maritime awareness, and military support to civil authorities.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, who met with the U.S. President Tuesday afternoon, said Bush raised a number of national security issues, including the missile defence shield.

Harper isn't take a clear-cut stand on Canadian participation, and said his party won't decide whether to support any specific treaty until Martin's Liberals submit one to Parliament for debate.

NDP Leader Jack Layton has said he planned to ask the U.S. President tough questions about the weaponization of space during a brief opportunity to meet at the Tuesday night dinner being held in honour of Bush.