These articles have informed me of the issues concerning Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic. This
includes Canada's claim that the Northwest Passage is not an international strait. The five countries that
all want to claim a piece of the Arctic waters are: Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the U.S.
These countries want the right to exploit the resources found under the ice. The sea ice will continue to
shrink due to global warming which will make resources on the ocean floor accessible. The Arctic is
believed to contain up to twenty five percent of the world's undiscovered resources including minerals,
oil and gas.
The U.S. and other countries such as Russia have been a major concern to Canada's sovereignty
claims since they consider the Northwest Passage to be an international strait. The U.S also has some
boundary issues in the Beaufort sea with Canada. In the past, U.S. have passed through the
Northwest Passage without informing Canada. In 1988, the U.S. made an agreement to ask for
permission before going through the passage and Canada would always let them pass though. It was not
determined if Canada's waters were considered internal or international at the time.
Canada is concerned about Russia's claims to a large piece of the Arctic. In August 2007, Russia had
sent submarines below the North Pole to place a Russian flag there. Russia will also be creating a
special military force to protect its interests in the Arctic. I learned that Hans Island is occupied by the
Danish navy and both Canada and Greenland believe it is their territory.
The steps Canada wants to take to assert sovereignty include: establishing a Canadian Forces Arctic
Training Centre, building a new polar-class icebreaker, building a new deep-water port, improve Arctic
surveillance and increase reserves of Canadian Rangers who could report an intrusion. Nunavut
Premier, Eva Aariak believes that a hundred...