NORAD Renewal approved by Parliament

May 01, 2006

OTTAWA – As promised, the renewal of the North American Aerospace Defence Command Treaty (NORAD) was brought before the House of Commons by the new Conservative Government.

The federal government is not required to bring matters of foreign affairs, including the signing and renewal of treaties, before Parliament. However, on May 1, 2006, Prime Minister Harper made an unprecedented move: “The Speech from the Throne committed this government to submitting significant international treaties for vote in Parliament…The renewal of the agreement [NORAD] is an important undertaking that should be considered by the House of Commons...” While NORAD renewals have been previously discussed in parliament, the dialogue has occurred in the absence of the text of the agreement itself.

This time, the 2006 renewal treaty itself was comprehensively discussed. Defence Minister O’Connor and U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins ended their negotiations of the new NORAD agreement on April 28, 2006. The agreement received the consent of Parliament this week.

The NORAD Treaty was signed between the Canadian and American governments on May 12, 1958. NORAD was initially instituted as a means of protecting North American airspace. Specifically, with the perceived threat of a Soviet air strike over the North Pole, NORAD was responsible for a system of radars that would allow for early detection of an air attack. The introduction of the Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile emphasized the need for this integrated system of defence. It also became apparent that the detection system would need to be extended to outer space.

Since then, its scope has extended to outer space and, if ratified, to the seas. Canadian and American forces use satellites, systems of ground-based radar, and fighter jets to monitor, warn and possibly intercept or engage hostile vessels from air, space, or sea. U.S. Space Command also provides surveillance data to NORAD regarding potential threats from outer space. Because of its unique surveillance capabilities, NORAD also assists in tracking aircraft suspected of trafficking drugs. The information they find is then passed on to local law enforcement officials to help defeat the flow of illegal drugs into North America.

The Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United Sates are jointly responsible for selecting the commander of NORAD, and the commander is then accountable to both the President and the Prime Minister. Though the Cold War has ended, NORAD still fulfils an essential role. The attacks on the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and the failed attack on the Whitehouse on September 11th 2003 tragically demonstrated the need to jointly monitor North American airspace.

As someone who has visited NORAD headquarters in Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, I can attest to the fact that our men and women in uniform are respected as equals in NORAD, despite the fact that we cover only 10% of the cost. At present, levels of readiness at NORAD has been decreased, but all stations are still capable of being placed on full alert should the need arise. As a result of these varied levels of readiness, the cost of NORAD in the last decade has been significantly reduced, while still offering the protection needed in an uncertain world.