Maritime Affairs Last Edition Editorial

When we started Maritime Affairs in the fall of 1996 little did we think that we would be forced to close it down just over five years later. But that is reality. As explained in previous editions, the support needed to continue Maritime Affairs as a high-quality public education journal does not exist. However, there are some positive facts, not least of which is the way a new sense of community emerged among those who wrote about naval and maritime events and issues. Also, at the peak our circulation rose to almost 1,000 copies covering a wide readership. This was truly effective "outreach" had we been able to capitalize on it. Unfortunately the momentum could not be sustained.

It would be easy to blame it all on public apathy towards Canada's maritime dimension, but to do so would be misleading because there is a fairly strong "maritime" community in the country. That our public education mandate is being assumed by the Navy League of Canada is a clear sign of this fact. It is fitting that the Navy League re-assume the lead in public education in maritime issues because it was from there that many of us started. In many ways, the Navy League's Maritime Affairs Bulletin (published between 1969 and 1989) formed the point of departure for our own efforts to educate Canadians on the importance of the maritime dimension of their country. The Navy League's website (http://www.navyleague.ca) continues to grow and cover a wider spectrum of maritime issues. A considerable amount of information – much of it with origins in earlier editions of Maritime Affairs – can also be found on the NOAC website (http://www.naval.ca).

Also, some aspects of our work over the last five years will be continued through the Dalhousie University's maritime security program run by the Centre for Foreign Policy Studies (CFPS). Through this program, CFPS has been in the forefront of the Canadian public involvement in maritime security studies and research. The Centre's website (http://www.dal.ca/~centre) is already a widely used source of information and the next few months will see even more maritime security material posted through a new "on-line" journal covering all aspects of Canadian maritime security interests and concerns.

Those who are interested in the broader defence policy debate can find excellent papers, commentaries, and analyses by a wide range of very credible authors on the website for the Council for Canadian Security (http://www.ccs221.org). Also, the Conference of Defence Associations has been in the forefront in calling for a more responsible approach to Canadian defence on the part of this government. The CDA website (http://www.cda-cdai.ca) is well worth visiting.

Our commitment to Canadian naval history will be continued by a new website being planned to cover the history of the Canadian Navy from its birth in 1910 to the present day. We hope to have the new website up and running early in 2003. Some excellent papers and notes on naval and maritime history can also be found through the website of the Canadian Nautical Research Society (CNRS) (http://www.marmus.ca/CNRS/). In particular, the links to other naval sites are worth checking out. There are several other website covering various aspects of Canada's naval history and we will be working with the sponsors to ensure the best possible coverage.

What seems to emerge from all this is a blinding flash of the obvious – the smaller professional journals are giving way to electronic journals. A major factor, we found out, is that the cost of producing a quality journal is almost prohibitive these days. Moreover, the cost of mailing journals has become outrageously high and thus a significant disincentive to those wishing to rely on relatively low circulation printed material.

Finally, we are discussing ways by which an annual "Canadian Naval Review" can be produced. As with so many such ventures, adequate funding and pre-publication guarantees to buy copies are essential. It will also be essential to have the full support of the Navy so that the previous year's activities can be reviewed and illustrated. Once the arrangements are finalized, information about the Canadian Naval Review will be posted on the range of "naval" websites and the various "naval" associations will be asked to distribute information to their members.

Even though there is much criticism of the Internet and its invasive properties as well as its use for illegal activities, we must accept the reality of the situation that the Internet is now a major source of information. Some would say that it has become the primary source. This might be true, but there are still a great many people who enjoy reading books, periodicals, and newspapers. There are also many people who do not have direct or easy access to the Internet. In some cases this is a function of choice, in others it is function of economics. We are not yet a fully "wired" world and there are reasons to believe that this will never happen. However, decision-makers around the world now rely on the Internet to meet most of their daily needs for information. Academics and students make enormous use of the Internet and libraries are adjusting their holdings and acquisition programs to meet these demands. Special interest groups also make extensive use of the Internet to both collect information and to publish their own analyses and opinions. Ironically, some special interest groups now have their own communications networks that just as sophisticated as those of the military.

Looking back, Maritime Affairs has tried to bring some important issues to the attention of the public and to our political leaders. For instance, we have repeatedly emphasized the value of the Canadian Navy to Canada, pointing out repeatedly that the return on the relatively small investment Canadians make in their Navy is enormous. Unfortunately, the Navy does most of its work out of the immediate public eye and so seldom gets the acknowledgement it deserves. It is essential that we keep on reminding our politicians and fellow Canadians of the direct and indirect contributions their Navy makes to their lives. If we do not continue to press this point, the politicians and much of the electorate will allow their focus to slide to the more evident army and air force elements of the military. This, the final edition of Maritime Affairs, is dedicated to our navy and is a blend of "things naval" past, present and future.

We have also championed the need to keep a very clear focus on the importance of both international and domestic shipping to the overall Canadian way of life. The facts speak for themselves:

• a very considerable slice of our GDP is a function of seaborne trade;
• of that trade some 85 percent is with the United States but it through that trade that Canada is an integral part of the global economy;
• this integration unfortunately creates a vulnerability because through Canadian ports terrorists and criminals have easy access to the United States; hence,
• the need for more stringent security measures for our ports and related transportation and communication systems.

We have also championed, perhaps not sufficiently often, the need to maintain a Canadian shipbuilding industry. As recent political statements show, the value to Canada of a broadly-based, versatile shipbuilding industry is not fully understood. It is not just the shipyards, it is also the host of related industries they spawn. Regrettably, this government refuses to grasp the significance of this industry to the overall Canadian economy and to our competitiveness in the world marketplace. The whole industry – from heavy engineering and fabrication to the design and installation of integrated control and information systems – has the ability to support every aspect of ocean use. But this just isn't understood politically.

The other aspect of maintaining a comprehensive shipbuilding industry that this government seems unable to understand is that it is a key element in developing and introducing new technologies. For instance, it is one thing to convert a city bus to use a fuel cell, it is quite another to apply fuel cell technology to marine propulsion. If we really are serious about reducing potentially toxic emissions, then we have to look seriously at marine propulsion. While a shift to nuclear power makes infinite sense to many, there are still those who reject such ideas out of hand. So, where are the new marine propulsion systems? Killing the shipbuilding industry will also kill the initiative necessary to solve such problems.

This very brief review of some the things Maritime Affairs has stood for should tell us one thing, this government has absolutely no appreciation of the importance of the oceans to the overall Canadian way of life. In this, we have not been able to make many inroads.

So, the demise of Maritime Affairs is not the end of the world. What we started will continue but by other means. In closing, our best wishes go to all those organizations and individuals continuing to publicize the causes we have championed and those who now undertake the important task of educating Canadians on the importance of the oceans—in every respect—to their country and, especially, to their daily lives.

Peter Haydon is the editor of Maritime Affairs and a Senior Research Fellow at Dalhousie University's Centre for Foreign Policy Studies.