Canadian Sovereignty: The Issue of the Arctic

A Definition of Sovereignty
Many people through the reading of the daily newspapers, watching the television news or browsing news sites online will come across many references to the word sovereignty without knowing its definition. Without being too legalese or elaborate, but realizing that an understanding of the word is necessary, the following is a compact explanation of the meaning of sovereignty:

In order for a country (usually termed a state) to be called sovereign it must meet the following three conditions:

a) Land - you may have a group of people who are considered one (called a nation) but without land they are not sovereign. The land must also have a defined area recognized by its neighbours and other states. Under this condition, for example, Israel is not a sovereign state since most of its neighbours do not recognize it as such. The Palestinian people would be a group that has no land recognized by all states and therefore would be considered a nation but not a sovereign state.

b) People - in order for the land to have sovereign status, it must be occupied by a people. These people must recognize they are on a land with others similar to themselves under the same laws and behaviours. This group of people must see themselves as different from those outside the land they occupy. Those outside the land (in other countries) also must recognize them as different. Canadians and Americans are similar but each does not consider themselves the other as an example.

c) Government - in order to be considered sovereign the land and its people must have a working government. The governments of other states must recognize the authority of the government to represent its people. If there is no government then anarchy is present which leads other sovereign states to consider it open territory.

The Arctic
It's a bit comical and extremely sad that it took an environmental issue (global warming) and its resulting impact on the north to spur the Canadian government to act on Canada's sovereignty up north. It's funny what economics (resources and transportation) can do for countries that previously never had issue with Canada's ownership of the northern lands around the Arctic Circle.

With Russia's publicity stunt; sending a submarine to the North Pole to plant a Russian flag, and the dispute with Denmark over Hans Island, not to mention the Americans taking issue with Canada's assertion that the North West Passage will travel through Canadian territory, it seems the future will hold major disputes with Canada's sovereignty in the north.

It will take a government both strong and persuasive in nature to wrestle with the world to protect what was previously considered by all countries traditionally as Canadian soil. We will see in the next decade a focus on the north with billions of dollars in investment and development by any government who wishes to stay in power on Parliament Hill.

Although Canadians seem generally apathetic about patriotism it will not continue when it is actual land and its surrounding waterways at issue. The government must take stock in itself and not quibble or negotiate with powers either stronger or weaker than Canada concerning the country's northern territory. We have owned it from the beginnings of Canada's creation and recognition by the world's nations of Canada's right to exist should not be disputed because of the potential economic benefits up north.

If Canada is to protect its interests it must begin asserting itself in the north. Military bases built, disputed land claims with aboriginal groups solved, resource exploration and development expanded, and movement of goods and services by sea started, are all strategies that should begin immediately. It is at our own peril to procrastinate. If we don't claim use of the waterways around the Beaufort Sea and islands around Baffin then some other country will. It is time to act.

Article by:
FS Staff

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