Thursday thoughts

April 10th, 2008 | email this | digg it

Leave your comment Posted by Scott Tribe

Published in Canadian Politics, International Politics

- We’ve seen this movie before, or at least in Ontario we’ve seen it. I’m not sure the rest of the country will react much better either - but that’s a good thing. Thanks in part to Flaherty, the Conservatives were removed from government in Ontario. Here’s hoping that Flaherty has the same effect on his federal Cons. friends in Ottawa.

- This news would fall in a category called “we’ll say anything you want to hear if it helps us win, but we really weren’t serious when we said it”. The IOC and its president Jacque Rogge reminds China that at the time of their Olympic bid, they promised that awarding the games to them would promote and advance social change, including human rights. China’s reaction back to the IOC? Butt out: you’re trying to politicize the Games. Was the IOC that naive to believe China’s leadership? What evidence was there that this would happen?

- I don’t give much if any credit to the Conservatives for doing anything right (mainly because they haven’t done anything to warrant it), but I will laud them for blocking the sale of this satellite company (who made the RadarSat-2 satellite, which monitors the Canadian Arctic) to a US buyer. Sure, it was done by Jim Prentice under intense pressure, even by the Cons. own normally docile MP’s, but I think it was the right decision - why sell a satellite company to a foreign nation when it transmits images and data potentially vital to our sovereignty?

3 Responded To This Post

14428. Annie said on April 10, 2008 at 1:46 pm

I read it is not a done deal yet and there is 30 days for Prentice to really decide

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14432. JimBobby said on April 10, 2008 at 3:17 pm

Here’s some interesting background on RadarSat2.
From that:

Radarsat-1, the predecessor to the current generation, was built at a cost of $600 million, 90% of which came from federal and provincial governments which wanted access to the data. I haven’t seen the numbers for Radarsat-2, but it is probably similar.

The U.S. govt (NASA) was allowed access to Radarsat-1 data in exchange for launching the satellite, in 1995. It’s still in operation, years longer than planned. We build good satellites

In 2000, NASA refused to launch the planned Radarsat-2 satellite because of national security concerns.

Basically, Radarsat-2 produces imagery as good as - maybe better than - U.S. military intelligence satellites. Since it uses radar, not optical sensors, it is not hindered by cloud cover. It doesn’t require daylight, either.

So, after years of delays, Radarsat-2 was finally launched by the Russians Dec. 14, about three months ago.

AECL and CANDU technology are also on the block in Harper’s selling of Canada. Avro Arrow redux.

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14444. John W said on April 11, 2008 at 1:38 pm

I guess Layton was trying to paint Harper into a corner and make it harder to back down by his effusive cringe creating praise.
But, Harper should be getting a call from the White House and others in the military etc complex any day now.
Look for some compromise favouring the US, but some face saving for Prentice, after the election of course.

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