Summer 2023 // Canadian Government Executive / 23 ARCTIC When I commanded Canadian Forces Northern Area in the late 1990s, I was appalled to learn that ships entering our internal waters were not required to report their presence to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). In July 2010, following years of lobbying, the Canadian Government made it compulsory for vessels of 300 tons and above entering Canadian waters to report to the Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations, better known as NORDREG. This measure significantly improved Canada’s awareness of who and what was entering our Arctic. Unfortunately, Report Number 6 of the Auditor General of Canada (AGC) on the surveillance of Canadian Arctic Waters, published in November 2022, states that “Overall, the federal government has not taken the required action to address long-standing gaps affecting its surveillance of Canada’s Arctic waters”. Of specific concern, it also states at paragraph 6.23 that: “The inability to reliably track, monitor, and identify non-emitting vessels, notably small vessels and those not complying with requirements on identification and tracking equipment.” Large vessels, when operating responsibly, would normally emit information on their presence through the Automatic Identification System (AIS). This international system is designed to avoid collisions between ships. Fortunately, the AIS signals can be monitored from space and contribute significantly to maritime domain awareness. When vessels do not emit with their AIS - either due to lack of proper equipment or because they want to hide their presence - it is difficult, if not impossible, for Canada to maintain good domain awareness of maritime activity in its vast arctic internal waters and Exclusive Economic Zone. The report of the Senate’s Standing Committee on National Defence on “A Secure and Sovereign Arctic”, published in April 2023, echoes the AGC’s report. Their report also states that: “On 9 March 2023, United States Air Force General Glen D. Vanherck, the Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), specifically made a statement at the Conference of Defence Associations Institute’s Annual Conference on
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