First the Sea, then the Sky, then the Land?

US Ambassador Paul Cellucci today stated repeatedly that Canada’s refusal to participate in ballistic missile defence marks a diminution of Canadian sovereignty.

“We will deploy. We will defend North America,” said Paul Cellucci, the U.S. ambassador to Canada.

“We simply cannot understand why Canada would, in effect, give up its sovereignty - its seat at the table - to decide what to do about a missile that might be coming toward Canada.”

The warning was no slip of the tongue - Cellucci repeated several times that Canada’s decision had handed over some of its sovereignty to the U.S.

As readers know, the US administration, and Bush in particular, put a lot of pressure on the Canadian government to participate. Bush even chided Harper for not doing enough.

What are the reasons for Canada’s refusal? Not because it opposes weaponization of space. Not because BMD may or may not work. There are numerous cost-free reasons to join even if it ends up being a white elephant.

No, the reasons to not joining are because the Liberals are in a minority position and they want votes from the left, but specifically in Quebec.

The Canadian government has failed to protect Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic. Now it seems it’s given up its decision-making role in defending sovereignty in the air. When it comes to land, we had the sovereignty question raised in 1995. Maybe again?