Arctic Adventure Worthy or Not

The current Conservative government seems to be trying to make a positive difference in the Arctic and surrounding area, but is this cause worth it? They have recently promised to commit there support to having a bigger role in the North (As reported in the CanWest News Service article Harper stresses 'use it or lose it' as he earmarks more funds for North).

In attempting to raise Canada's presence in the North, Harper's government has promised a "$150-million commitment to International Polar Year." While I am not a fan of many of Harper's policies, I do somewhat admire his initiative on this program. The Arctic seems to have been ignored by many previous federal governments, so it is great to see the current government get involved in it.

But this program does not guarantee any significant advancement in the North. Their is no real commitment to making Canada's ties with the North stronger, only that they with commit money to do research in the North.

one concern that I have with this program is the amount of money Harper's government is putting towards it and where this money is coming from. While this may be a worthwhile cause, if it means taking money from other important programs which are already underfunded, such as environmental programs, this does not seem right.

I am also weary of the events surrounding the governments decision to invest in the North. Since it took an international initiative to commit to the North before Harper would, this really makes me question where his true beliefs lie, and if he would have even invested in the North had there not been pressure from other nations.

While performing research on the North does seem like an important cause, I am just not convinced that the benefits outweigh the costs.