Another 10 percent of Canadians believe the country should flex military muscle — but only as a purely symbolic gesture — while 22 percent believe any disputes over the region’s resources and transportation routes can be resolved through legal and diplomatic means, newspaper Toronto Sun writes.
- Canada is not known for a desire to exercise military power but when it comes to the North we are more likely to use military force than legal or diplomatic means, said Vice-president Dave Scholz in Leger Marketing, who conducted the survey.
The survey comes as Canada prepares to host an international conference of foreign ministers of the Arctic Ocean in Gatineau next week. The foreign ministers from Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway and USA will participate at the conference.
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Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon says that Canada is staking its ground as a leader in the global debate, pushing for peaceful, co-operative resolutions that are based on scientific evidence and international law. Demonstrating a commitment to developing the North puts Canada in a stronger position to defend its sovereignty, he added.
