Who Owns the Arctic?

Danish warship sails into Greenpeace Arctic oil protest

Armed forces called in to prevent environmentalists interfering with Cairn Energy's exploration of Arctic waters

John Vidal, The Guardian, May 24, 2011

Armed Danish commandos are thought to have been landed on a giant oil rig by helicopter to prevent environmentalists interfering with a British oil company's controversial exploration of deep Arctic waters. In a stand-off in the Davis Strait, west of Greenland, the Danish navy has been shadowing the Greenpeace ship Esperanza as it tracked the 53,000 tonne Leiv Eiriksson in iceberg-strewn sea to the site where it plans to search for oil at depths of up to 5,000ft.

Expedition could solidify Canada's Arctic claims

Randy Boswell, PostMedia, May 31, 2011

A High Arctic mapping expedition this summer along a mysterious undersea mountain chain near the North Pole will mark the culmination of a 10-year federal research project aimed at adding millions of square kilometres of ocean floor -potentially an area as large as Canada's three Prairie provinces combined -to this country's territorial possessions.

U.S. sees Harper talk about Arctic sovereignty as empty politics

Prime Minister Stephen Harper drives an ATV at the Tuktoyaktuk airport while visiting Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories on the fourth day of his five-day northern tour to Canada's Arctic on Thursday Aug. 26, 2010. A new Wikileaks cable suggests the U.S. government views Stephen Harper's talk about Canadian Arctic sovereignty as little more than empty chest-thumping designed to win votes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Andy Blatchford and Bob Weber, The Canadian Press

A new WikiLeaks cable suggests the U.S. government views Stephen Harper's talk about Canadian Arctic sovereignty as little more than empty chest-thumping designed to win votes.

In a diplomatic cable posted this week by the online whistleblower, the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa says the Tories have made successful political use of promises to beef up Canada's presence in the Arctic.

But it says the Harper government has done only scant implementation on pledges like increasing surveillance over the Northwest Passage.

"Conservatives make concern for 'The North' part of their political brand . . . and it works," says the note, titled Canada's Conservative Government and its Arctic Focus.

Canada boosts claim to Northwest Passage

Bernard Simon, Financial Times, May 11, 2011

A plan to open up northern Quebec to resource development will help bolster Canada’s disputed claims to the Northwest Passage, according to Jean Charest, premier of the French-speaking province.

“With global warming, a northern route is going to open up just on the tip of northern Quebec by 2030 or 2040,” Mr Charest told the Financial Times.

Why Stephen Harper should fly to Greenland

Michael Byers, Globe and Mail, May 9, 2011

Stephen Harper is facing the first diplomatic dilemma of his new majority government.

On Thursday, foreign ministers from seven other polar countries will meet in Nuuk, Greenland, for an Arctic Council summit. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be there. So, too, will Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

But Mr. Harper doesn’t have a foreign minister to send. Lawrence Cannon was defeated in last week’s federal election, and a new cabinet won’t be sworn in for at least another week.