The northwest passage a water route through the islands of northern canada. Understanding sovereignty disputes in the north by michael byers will get your blood boiling if you believe, as i do, that the northwest passage is canadian and not an international waterway. Negotiating over the northwest passage chapter six. Video by elena baldassarri, august 20, with interviews with franklyn griffiths, james manicom, adam lajeunesse, john higginbotham, and kathrin keil. A significant strengthening of canadas arctic sovereignty, unnoted in this article, took place in 2010. Sovereignty first and foremost and sovereignty to the side, j. Sovereignty, security, and stewardship, the authors, all leading commentators on arctic affairs, grapple with fundamental questions about how canada should craft a responsible and effective northern strategy. Critics fear chinas foray into northwest passage endangers arctic sovereignty a chinese research vessel that went through the north west passage. This is a critical issue, because the right of transit passage through international straits under the 1982 convention on the law of the sea limits substantially the ability of the coastal state. Canadas northwest passage claim isnt settled but its not illegitimate, like the u. The canadian governments principle arctic policy is to exercise its sovereignty in the territories and its waters. The northwest passage is rapidly becoming navigable, which means suddenly. The best new books about epic expeditions arctic adventure and high malaise in pursuit of the northwest passage. As an arctic nation canada is not immune to the consequences of these transformations.
Land within the arctic region has seasonally varying snow and ice cover, with predominantly treeless. List of books and articles about northwest passage online. Michael byers holds the canada research chair in global politics and international law at the university of british columbia in vancouver. The northwest passage is 7,000 kilometres shorter than the current shipping route through the panama canal. The future of arctic shipping and the northwest passage n october 20, the danish bulk carrier nordic orion completed the first successful commercial transit of the northwest passage. With global warming, the clearance of the northwest passage and the rising demands for new energy resources, the sovereignty of canadian and other national land claims in the arctic north is coming into question by those wishing to control access to this region. In the 2006 election, prime minister stephen harper made a campaign promise to defend canadas arctic sovereignty. Last week, the crash of a coast guard helicopter in the northwest passage underlined how very dangerous arctic waters can be. The northwest passage and canadian arctic sovereignty by michael kennedy. A history of arctic sovereignty in north america ebook written by shelagh d. The northwest passage nwp is the sea route to the pacific ocean through the arctic ocean, along the northern coast of north america via waterways through the canadian arctic archipelago. Its also rapidly making the northwest passage the passable sea route. Two years earlier, the chair of the standing senate committee on fisheries and oceans, william rompkey, made these comments on the northwest passage in an ottawa citizen oped 17 july 2008.
The three men on board were wearing survival suits. Canada amends its northwest territories act to require all foreign scientists and explorers in the arctic to obtain government permitsin effect claiming sovereignty in the wedgeshaped sector extending north from the countrys eastern and western extremities. The arctic circumnavigation tour is the most ambitious northwest passage cruise offered. Canadas arctic searchandrescue capabilities are desperately poor.
One of the most compelling arguments has been that. The northwest passage in contemporary policy chapter five. Who owns the trillions of dollars of oil and gas beneath the arctic ocean. A simple statement, it summed up a hundred years of official policy. Who owns the arctic, by michael byers the globe and mail. The map at the top of this page shows possible routes through the northwest passage.
As much as i love so many of his books, especially the national dreamthe last spike, the arctic grail is perhaps even better. And, in an age of rapid climate change, how do we protect the fragile arctic environment while seizing the economic opportunities presented by. The eastern route along the arctic coasts of norway and siberia is accordingly called the northeast passage nep. Our longrange helicopters are based in british columbia, nova scotia and labrador.
Sovereignty over the area has become a national priority for canadian governments in the 21st century, thanks to growing international interest in the arctic due to resource development, climate change, control of the northwest passage and access to transportation routes. Secretary of state mike pompeo says canadas claim to. All land, internal waters, territorial seas and eezs in the arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the eight arctic coastal states. Which territorial claims will prevail, and why those of the united states, russia, canada, or the nordic nations. Drawing on recently declassified material, lajeunesse guides readers through the evolution of canadas arctic sovereignty, showing how the northwest passage and the surrounding waters became canadian. The northwest passage a water route through the islands of northern canada connecting the atlantic and pacific oceans a treasure that explorers had sought for centuries. Northwest passage constitutes canadian internal waters subject to the full.
The economist explains who owns the northwest passage. Cargo ships can chop days if not weeks off certain journeys by using the northwest passage. Secretary of state mike pompeo said monday in a major speech to the arctic council that canadian experts called. Since the nineteenth century, canadian governments have claimed ownership of the land and. America in 1880, claims sovereignty over the passage because all of its routes. The northwest passage and canadian arctic sovereignty. Professor byers has led two projects for arcticnet, a canadian governmentfunded research consortium. Olilandsat 8nasa but covetous eyes gaze upon the northwest passage, more so as arctic ice retreats. Varying claims made by the international community are analysed with a heavy focus on canada and the united states. Northwest passage, water routes through the arctic archipelago, n canada, and along the northern coast of alaska between the pacific and atlantic oceans. The northwest passage the arctic grail discovering the. From the search for the northwest passage to the quest for the north pole, berton chronicles the adventurers who braved the unforgiving arctic. This chapters maps orient the reader to territorial claims in arctic lands and waters. Maybe mike pompeo isnt the brightest secretary of state.
Maybe mike pompeo isnt the brightest secretary of state ever to hold the office. They outline diverse paths to achieving sovereignty, security, and stewardship in canadaas arctic and in the broader circumpolar world. If canada believes the passage to be ours, how do we demonstrate our control. The new northwest passage and millions of other books are available for amazon. Canadian sovereignty over the northwest passage has made this dispute one of the most significant bilateral legal issues in the canadianunited states relationship. Ships traveling west would enter the passage through baffin bay, pass through the canadian arctic archipelago by various routes, exit into the beaufort sea and then out into the pacific ocean through the chukchi sea and bering sea. The second possible challenge to canadas arctic sovereignty is the claim that the waters of the northwest passage constitute an international strait.
Ship found in arctic 168 years after doomed northwest. Interviewers underlined the connection between the historical problem and geopolitical issues. Resolute bay, canada steadily melting arctic ice is not just exposing vast unexplored fishing stocks and mineral wealth. Who owns the arctic understanding sovereignty disputes. But more importantly it brought them face to face with modern arctic life in tiny. One hundred years ago, on july 1, 1909, captain josephelzear bernier, his officers and crew erected a plaque on melville island in the northwest passage and laid claim to the. Some were brave and resourceful, others foolish yet gallant. America tries to freeze canada out of the route through the arctic. The arctic consists of land, internal waters, territorial seas, exclusive economic zones eezs and high seas above the arctic circle 66 degrees 33 minutes north latitude. Canada also has historic title to support its claim to sovereignty over the passage, as inuit trails have crossed the frozen passage for centuries. Melville island, proclaiming canadian sovereignty over the entire arctic archipelago for canada, from the mainland to the north pole. Washed by the shallow waters of the tumen river that divides russia and north korea, chinas hunchun has few tourist attractions other than a coinoperated set of binoculars, on an elevated platform, that lets the occasional visitor survey the three neighbours only junction. Stephen harper as part of a broader plan to assert canadian sovereignty in the arctic and.
Behind the scenes, however, successive governments have spent over a century trying to figure out how to enforce this claim. And, in an age of rapid climate change, how do we protect the fragile arctic environment while seizing the economic opportunities presented by the rapidly. History sovereignty security resources what follows is a selected bibliography and reference list on the arctic and the northwest passage. List of books and articles about northwest passage. Arctic sovereignty is a key part of canadas history and future 40 per cent of the countrys landmass is in its three northern territories, and the country has 162,000 kilometers km of arctic coastline. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read polar imperative. Video presenting the sovereignty question in relation to arctic and northwest passage shipping. Arctic council simulation 55 glossary 63 arctic imperative. The northwest passage as a question of sovereignty environment. The strongest element in canadas sovereigntyclaim, byers writes.
Toward a responsible canadian arctic sovereignty volume 52 issue 3 jeremy seth geddert. The future of arctic shipping and the northwest passage by whitney lackenbauer and adam lajeunesse december, 2014 page 1 on uncertain ice. Canada, norway, russia, denmark via greenland, iceland, sweden, finland and the. What will be one of the right honourable stephen harpers legacies during his nine years in office as canadas twentysecond prime minister will be his. The northwest passage as a question of sovereignty. It certainly discussed sovereignty disputes in the northern hemisphere, but it largely focused on canada, and what canada has done in its arctic territories, and what it should do to protect its interest especially in relations to offshore mining and resource extraction, and the nature of the northwest passage. Canadian arctic sovereignty the canadian encyclopedia. In 1988, after years of failed negotiations over the status of the northwest passage, brian mulroney gave ronald reagan a globe, pointed to the arctic, and said ron thats ours. The quest for the northwest passage and the north pole, 18181909 toronto.
The northwest passage the arctic grail discovering the arctic. Recently, developments have occurred which could pose renewed threats to canadas arctic sovereignty. In the past few decades, canadas sovereign control of the northwest passage has been the subject of government protests and academic criticism. The northwest passage and canadian arctic sovereignty by. The race to lay claim on the bering strait as arctic ice. In 2014 the nunavik took 26 days to carry nickel from quebec to china, compared with a. Andrea charron, the northwest passage shipping channel. Arctic sovereignty by mccormick, ty foreign policy. The arctic consists of the arctic ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of alaska united states, finland, greenland, iceland, northern canada, norway, russia, and sweden. Canada must assert sovereignty over the arctic while there.