The Honorable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources, today announced funding of $38.9 million to equip Natural Resources Canada's (NRCan) satellite station facilities with state-of-the-art antennae. The Minister made this announcement during a speech at the Prince Albert Satellite Station facility.
"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting science and technology in order to build a competitive advantage for our nation," said Minister Oliver. "With the second-largest landmass on earth and the longest coastline in the world, Canada's sovereignty depends on the effective monitoring of our land and borders." Canada uses leading-edge satellite technology to provide real-time scientific information on its landmass in order to address a wide array of topics that are important to Canadians - environmental monitoring, stewardship, resource exploration and development, emergency response, navigation, sovereignty and security.
This announcement provides funding for the installation of four antennae at Natural Resources Canada's satellite station facilities: two in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, one in Gatineau, Quebec and one in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. These three satellite station facilities are strategically located across Canada to provide full coverage of Canada's landmass. Funding also supports a data management system to house and safeguard satellite information. In addition, the announcement coincides with the 40th anniversary of the Prince Albert Satellite Station facility.
Space-borne observation is a powerful and cost-effective tool to help promote the safety and security of Canadians as well as monitor the environment. The landmass information it gathers provides knowledge that can be used to ensure the responsible development of Canada's natural resources.
Funding for the new Canadian satellite antennae and the overall revitalization of the Natural Resources Canada satellite station facilities is part of the Harper Government's commitment to support applied science within Canada's Economic Action Plan 2012. Natural Resources Canada is the federal centre of expertise for Earth observation data generated by satellites.