Tories, Liberals make common cause, NDP opposes NORAD renewal deal

[Minstrel Boy]

Tories, Liberals make common cause, NDP opposes NORAD renewal deal

OTTAWA (CP) - The changing nature of continental defence makes it imperative to expand the NORAD agreement with the United States to cover threats from the sea as well as from the air, says the Conservative government.

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The Liberals, who began negotiations toward the renewal when they were in power, have signalled they will support the deal on which the Tories put the finishing touches.

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The New Democrats, however, objected to provisions in the treaty that they say could compromise Canadian sovereignty, especially in the Arctic. They also fear the deal will tie Canada too closely to the controversial anti-missile defence shield favoured by the Bush administration in Washington.

"This agreement contains many problems, and that is why we will not be able to support it," NDP Leader Jack Layton told reporters before the debate began. "This is not the NORAD agreement of old . . . It's the next major step in deep integration with the United States military."

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/05/03/1563056-cp.html