ne

to Moscow earlier

adian ‘relations.

develop ent.

Ne this year ofa representa-
hadian delegation, who consisted of specialists
Arctic, was a new event in the development of:

iposition of the Canadian delegation pointed =~
Tange of interests connecting the two coun-
ited on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. The
n consisted of representatives of various de-

$ Gnd ministries, including geologists, meteor-
‘Specialists from Canadian wildife service, —
ealth and welfare, pedagogics, Indian affairs
ern development. G. M. Harrison, Senior -
at Deputy Minister for Energy, Mines and Re- |
| Said that the aim of the talks conducted by”
scientists with their Soviet opposite numbers __
tablish common problems and points of  —

) facilitate the solution of problems connected Sua

Jan Between the two they do
Sure which it is they wish to
not us many questions but
(,, walt for the answers.’
the 28's efforts since 1903 to
*skimos more within the
a the nation are described
4 Jenness’s Eskimo Admini-
‘ten a...It takes a schol-
Those pace look at a situa-
uilt-in problems were _im-
esuley Pts to deal with them
Door 2 uncoordinated, hob-
tthe Communications and lack
| the Policy.
Nhaye <Utury opened, the Inuit
St of Seemed a long way from
Who Nada. So, too, must many
mere working in Eskimo
spot sionaries, whalers, trad-
the Ce. The Eskimos’ impres-
San Ae. man’s culture, cus-
ug : vations must have been
On, shre lurred image of heroic
ldtive Wd paternalism and hard-
enp Ot Bain.”
\tae some housing pro-
Usang sth have provided sev-
Q new homes for Eskimos.
risin quote Irene Baird:
Inuit birthrate, good in
fated acute over-crowding
Of squalor that scars the

many Arctic communities.”
* a

elon take a look at north-
W sont in the Soviet Union—
ing a. lessons from it.

the poh Five-Year Plan the
: ar North in the economic

| Be
ERESHREHE

oot sions

life of the USSR is to grow at an un-
precedented rate. From Murmansk to
Chukotka industries are being deve-
loped. Fishermen sail from Murmansk
to the Newfoundland coast and the
western coast of Africa. The Kola
Peninsula is producing apatite from
the Khibing mountains. Oil and gas is
being brought south from the lower
reaches of the Ob; timber from Igarka;
various minerals from Norilsk; dia-
monds from Mirny, the second largest

’ town in Yakutia; power from the taiga

rivers; coal from Vorkuta. The list of
achievements is seemingly endless.

Nature is no kinder inside the Soviet
polar circle than it is in Canada’s. But
man has learned to live in this harsh
land and to thrive amidst its hardships.
Izvestia reports:

“The stern, isolated land does not
willingly submit its elements to Man.
It only yields to modern machines.
There are many examples of science
becoming a productive force in the Far
North. No sooner had scientists gues-
sed how to build hydro-engineering
projects in zones of eternal frigidity
than taiga rivers, the Vilyui and the
Khantaika, were made to rotate tur-
bines and life-saving electric current
was whisked along tundra high-tension
lines over distances of many hundred
miles, and foundations for atomic
power stations were laid on the Kola
Peninsula near Kandalaksha and in
Bilibino in Chukotka.

“Defying the raging blizzards, fresh
vegetables grow in Arctic state farm
hothouses. Undaunted by the snow,

IEEE

which is as high as their homes, Arc-
tic swimmers train in indoor, sunlit
swimming pools, and gymnasts in
glass-domed gyms.

“One of the most remarkable feat-
ures of the Far North is its ability to
become for very many people a life’s
schooling of fortitude and civic duty.
Duels against the elements steel their
characters, develop a strong feeling of
comradeship, awareness of their social
responsibilities, and readiness for
heroic feats.

“Inscribed in the history of Soviet
society are the names of the seamen,
who explored the Northern Sea Route;
the pilots, who were the first to be
awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet
Union; the geologists, who discovered
the Northern mineral treasures; the
industrial workers and. architects, and
the outstanding scientists, who learned
the laws governing natural phenom-
ena. It is absolutely impossible to name
all the members of the legion, who con-
tinue developing the region, passing
their baton from one generation to an-
other, and carrying out heroic exploits
without giving them a second thought.”

* * *

In the past, political considerations
barred the natural development of
Canadian-Soviet relations.

Ottawa gave “de jure” recognition
of the Soviet Union in 1924. Trade be-
gan to climb, but was broken off in
May, 1927, at British insistence. Nor-
mal relations were resumed in 1929,
yet in 1931 the Canadian government

placed an embargo on several catego-
ries of Soviet goods, which was not
cancelled until 1936. In 1939 commer-
cial ties were again severed, and only
resumed after Hitler invaded the USSR
in 1941.

The Cold War saw a drastic drop in
trade and other relations - between
Canada and the Soviet Union, and ‘it
was not until the beginning of this de-
cade of the 1970’s that steps were
taken to create a new atmosphere of
friendship, trade, cultural and scien-
tific exchange. The visit of Prime Min-
ister Trudeau to the USSR last year
and Premier Kosygin’s return visit to
Canada were extremely helpful in this

respect.

The prophetic words of Vilhjalmur
Stefansson come to mind:

“Canada and the Soviet Union bor-.

der on a sea that is like a hub from
which the continents radiate like the
spokes of a wheel. North of the equa-
tor along these spokes lies most of the
land in the world and nine-tenths of
the world’s population. What Canada
needs to study, then, is her position
within the northern hemisphere, and
especially her relations to the powers
that are nearest to her...

“If we do things similar to those
being done in the Soviet Union, there
will not merely result a symmetrical
development on both sides of the
Arctic, there will also result an under-
standing of each people by the other,
for we shall all be engaged on com-
mon tasks, seeing the same prospects
and reaping the same rewards.”

A sports complex for the people in the city of Kirovsk north of the Arctic circle. Ski-jump
towers, pools, hockey rinks and gyms offer excellent facilities for everyone.

om is

aaa

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1972—PAGE 5