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CASR
Arctic Viking Index
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- Canadian Defence Policy, Foreign
Policy, & Canada-US Relations - |
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Canada's Arctic Sovereignty: Denmark's Claims in the Arctic Mar./May 2005
Denmark's Arctic Assets and Canada's Response –
Sovereignty and Strategic Resources of the High Arctic
Canada's Northwest Passage – A High Arctic Waterway Worth Fighting For
"Westward from the Davis Strait, 'tis there 'twas said to lie,
A Sea Route to the Orient,
for which so many died –
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered,
broken bones,
And a long - forgotten, lonely cairn
of stones . . . "
This is the melancholy history of the Northwest Passage
as sung by the late Stan Rogers, a fiercely patriotic Canadian song-writer.
There was no doubt in his mind that the Northwest Passage belonged
to Canada. Unfortunately, many nations now challenge our
claim to this channel. Why? Because the Arctic ecosystem is
warming up at an alarming rate. Soon the Northwest Passage
will be coveted as the shortest, safest, cheapest route between
Shanghai and Rotterdam. There will be growing pressure to
'globalize' our internal waterway.
Canada must take decisive actions now in order to build an
unassailable claim to the islands and the waterways of the
Arctic Archipelago. Many ministries – including the Department
of National Defence – will need to work together to weave
an airtight case for Canadian claims to the High Arctic.
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