The need for Canada to exercise some leadership within the NATO alliance becomes apparent when you consider Canada's new position up against the Russians:
An unreliable NATO has implications for Canada not least because Russia is once again becoming a menace. The Kremlin's claim to the Arctic seabed can be discounted, he argues, because it is being pursued through the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty. But other provocations are worrisome. "They are testing our airspace more frequently than they have been doing in a long, long time," he says. "It's the aggression in the Arctic, aggression more generally, an aggression that is increasingly troublesome just to be troublesome."
As I noted recently, Canada is the new frontline of the NATO alliance:
Back during the Cold War, when the Russian threat was to the front line in West Germany, Canada was the rear area of the alliance. If the Arctic becomes a contested zone against an aggressive Russia, Canada becomes a frontline country.
The problem of Russia isn't limited to distant Georgia. It is understandable that Canada worries about Russia. The wonder is, with Alaska no less on the front line than Canada, why Canada finds they must exercise some leadership.
