Quote:
Originally Posted by Sliver
We need to face the fact that we can't defend the Arctic and we'll never be able to afford what it would cost to do so. It's ours on maps for now, but whoever wants it and wants to put the money, manpower and resources into holding it will ultimately own it.
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To be honest, I never understood why just because some British sailors saw the islands and declared them property of Britain, and later Canada; that they are legally ours. I don't think this type of land claim process would hold up to modern sensibilities.
I think one of the main reasons why the Nunavut territory was incorporated was to make an agreement between Canada and Inuit to ensure Canadian sovereignty over the eastern and extreme northern Arctic. They (Inuit) agreed to recognize the authority of the Canadian government in exchange for a level of autonomy and self-government. That whole area of the Arctic is traditional Inuit territory and Canada's best hope for Arctic sovereignty is to maintain that relationship. It doesn't help with military defense, but on a legal level when it comes to international disputes, it is the one thing that Canada has going for it at the moment as it is hard to for anyone to argue (even Russia) that the area isn't traditional Inuit territory and they now have a governing agreement with Canada that would stand up to international scrutiny.