BY MARK KENNEDY, POSTMEDIA NEWS AUGUST 26, 2010 6:44 PM
Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivers a speech in Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories August 26, 2010.
Photograph by: Chris Wattie, Reuters
TUKTOYAKTUK, N.W.T. — Fresh from dancing his way into the hearts of some northerners, Prime Minister Stephen Harper didn't let up on the populist touch Thursday: jumping on an all-terrain vehicle to race around Arctic roads, and declaring his government will protect beluga whales in the Beaufort Sea.
Harper was on his fourth day of his week-long trip to the North, and the focus of his attention was on protecting mammal life and the environment in the sensitive waters of the Arctic. He visited Tuktoyaktuk, home to nearly 1,000 people, which is the northernmost community on the Canadian mainland.
Harper said his government will establish the Tarium Niryutait Marine Protected Area, which will cover about 1,800 square kilometres and is located at the mouth of the Mackenzie River in the Beaufort Sea.
The move is designed to conserve one of the world's largest seasonal populations of beluga whales. Harper said the whale is as much a part of the northern Canadian character as the polar bear, the kayak, the caribou, the igloo and the dogsled.
During the summer, the Beaufort Sea is home to one of the world's largest stocks of beluga whales. They go there to feed, socialize and raise their calves.
"Today we are ensuring these Arctic treasures are preserved for generations to come," said Harper.
The prime minister said plans for the preservation area were worked out in consultation with aboriginals, private industry and the territorial governments.
He said the plan strikes a balance between protecting the whales while ensuring the Inuit are able to carry on their traditions of "harvesting" the animals, as well private companies exploring the "enormous potential" of oil explanation.
"We will always take the long view of prosperity: Understanding that if we look after our land, our land will look after us."
Harper's focus Thursday on protecting the traditions of the Inuit came the morning after he surprised a gathering of aboriginals in Inuvik by agreeing to participate in their dance. The prime minister, known as a cerebral economist who isn't a natural campaigner, joined the crowd of dancers who were swaying to the beat of a traditional drum.
His involvement was a hit with the aboriginals.
As he left Tuktoyaktuk on Thursday, Harper turned away from the official schedule once again. When he arrived at the airport, with dozens of aides and journalists waiting at the military Hercules aircraft, he decided to jump on an ATV and take it for a ride alone.
Harper donned a helmet and took off down the runway, and then disappeared down some gravel airport side roads. Within a few moments, someone jumped into a pickup truck, while another person jumped on another ATV, and both raced away to try to catch up to Harper.
When he got back several minutes later, with the cameras rolling, Harper joked that he hadn't seen any speed signs and that while it would be nice to have an ATV at his official country residence at Harrington Lake, the roads aren't straight enough.
Meanwhile, in another example of how Harper is determined to push Canadian sovereignty to the top of the political agenda, he continued a hard-line on Russian flights close to this country's airspace.
Speaking to Canadian troops at Resolute Bay on Wednesday, Harper spoke of how two Russian aircraft were identified north of Inuvik on Tuesday and "came as close as 30 nautical miles from Canadian soil."
Two Canadian jets intercepted the Russians and Harper praised the work of the Canadian Forces in maintaining "Canadian sovereign airspace."
Critics have suggested Harper is overplaying the incident, but the prime minister steadfastly rejected that suggestion Thursday.
"This is the testing of our airspace," he said of the Russians. "We're not testing somebody else's airspace. The government of Canada — through the Canadian Forces — always responds. We make no apologies for that."
Harper wraps up his annual Arctic trip Friday with an announcement in Whitehorse.
So far on his trip, Harper has made announcements that focus on northern economic development, scientific research, and protecting Arctic sovereignty through a strong military and satellite technology.
In Churchill, Man., he announced an airport upgrade to help northern travellers pass through that city more safely and easily. He also announced an Arctic science research station for Cambridge Bay, although a storm prevented him from visiting the community, as planned, to make the announcement there.
And in Resolute Bay on Wednesday, Harper watched military training exercises, praised the Canadian Forces for protecting this country's borders, and cast a spotlight on how the government is investing in new satellites to monitor things such as oil spills or the movement of dangerous "bad guys" in the Arctic or anywhere else in the world.
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