Coast Guard, not Navy, for Canadian maritime presence in the North

Further to this post,

"Canada's Arctic sovereignty undisputed, not threatened"

some recommendations of the Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans in a Dec. 14, 2009, report (via David Pugliese's Ottawa Citizen blog):

Controlling Canadian Arctic Waters: Role of the Canadian Coast Guard

Recommendation 1

The Committee recommends that all foreign vessels that enter Canada’s Arctic waters be required to report to NORDREG, regardless of vessel size or tonnage [more here, the legislation noted has been passed but does not yet seem to be in effect--see bottom of p. 18 here].

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that, as a precautionary measure at least in the interim period before the new naval Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) are built and deployed [these vessels, neither porpoise nor fish, are now in never never land] the Government of Canada:

1. arm Canada’s Coast Guard icebreakers with deck weaponry capable of giving firm notice, if necessary, to unauthorized foreign vessels for use in the Northwest Passage; and

2. provide on-board personnel from appropriate government agencies that have the authority to enforce Canadian domestic laws with small arms...

Recommendation 5

The Committee recommends that until the CP-140 Auroras are replaced by new patrol aircraft in 2020, the Government of Canada consider expanding maritime air surveillance in Canada’s North either by increasing Canadian Forces capability [when the Aurora fleet is being reduced from 18 to 10?] or contracting specially equipped aircraft from the private sector [I've wondered about a "A civilian maritime patrol aircraft fleet?"]...

Recommendation 7

The Committee recommends that Canada develop a long-term plan and provide the funding necessary for the acquisition of a suitable number of new multi-purpose polar icebreakers capable of operating year-round in its Arctic Archipelago and on the continental shelf [all the government has promised in one new "Diefenbreaker", in 2017, see end of this post--and this one for the current fleet]...

The recommendations make eminent sense to me (though note my alternative at 5); some related earlier posts:

Canadian Coast Guard for the North, not Navy

"Icebreakers best bet in Arctic"

The right approach to Arctic "sovereignty"

The icebreakers we should build

"A job for the Coast Guard"

What to do with the Canadian Coast Guard?

"Military should focus on coastline, not war: Layton"