Bob Weber, The Canadian Press, 24 March 2011
Canadian diplomats are facing a determined and often ill-informed push by European lawmakers to increase their influence in the Arctic, documents show.
Briefing notes obtained under Access to Information legislation suggest many members of the increasingly influential European Parliament consider Canada a barrier to Europe gaining the larger role in Arctic governance it wants. The same notes suggest those parliamentarians understand little of the region they seek to influence.
"There is increasing attention to the Arctic within the European Parliament," says the March 15, 2010, note for officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, written after a meeting of the parliament.
"The wide range of knowledge and, at times, stunning lack of knowledge on the Arctic caused our Norwegian contacts also attending the debate to note 'we have our work cut out for us.' "
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