SASKATOON – Blackstrap MP Lynne Yelich says Canada’s new government is taking the first practical steps to maintain our sovereignty in the Arctic. Prime Minister Harper was on a northern tour this month as part of the government’s commitment to define, enhance and enforce our sovereignty in the Arctic. It was the second time that the Prime Minister has visited the North to highlight the need for Canada to maintain Arctic sovereignty, having visited Canadian Forces personnel in Alert last August. The current trip occurred just one week after a Russian crew aboard a nuclear submarine arrived in the Northwest Passage and planted its national flag in a titanium capsule.

"Artic sovereignty is something that many Canadians just take for granted," says Yelich. Somehow, the Arctic seems like a distant reality that many will only know from looking at a map until something happens to remind us – such as the Russian action and the determination of Denmark to claim large chunks of the Arctic."