Canadian military should turn to private sector for space surveillance tech, MPs told
The Canadian military could have modern satellite coverage in the Arctic a decade earlier than envisioned if the federal government is willing to follow the example of other countries and embrace commercial opportunities in space, a House of Commons committee heard Monday.
![Canadian military should turn to private sector for space surveillance tech, MPs told](https://i.cbc.ca/1.3776785.1678031639!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/canada-sovereignty.jpg)
![A Canadian part-time military volunteer drives over the frozen sea past an abandoned landing craft off Cornwallis Island, Nunavut April 9, 2006. He had taken part in a two-week patrol designed to boost Canadian sovereignty in the remote and resource-rich High Arctic. After decades of virtually ignoring its remote, frozen Arctic lands, Canada is belatedly trying to assert its sovereignty over a gigantic region rich in mineral resources. The 1.3 million square miles (3.4 million sq km) of ice, rock and sea comprise 40 percent of Canada's land mass yet forces stationed there are minuscule -- 190 soldiers, 1700 part-time Inuit volunteers and four small, slow aircraft. To match feature Canada-Sovereignty Photo taken April 9, 2006. A man rides a snowmobile over icy terrain.](https://i.cbc.ca/1.3776785.1678031639!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/canada-sovereignty.jpg)
The Canadian military could have modern satellite coverage in the Arctic a decade earlier than envisioned if the federal government is willing to follow the example of other countries and embrace commercial opportunities in space, a House of Commons committee heard Monday.