Tuesday, October 31, 2006

U.S. dismisses Canada's claim to Northwest Passage

Canoe News
OTTAWA (CP) - The issue of whether the Northwest Passage belongs to Canada or the world has put the current U.S. ambassador to Canada at odds with his predecessor. Washington's representative in Canada, David Wilkins, says the U.S. position has not changed and the passage is international territory as far as the Bush administration is concerned. That is in direct conflict with statements by former ambassador Paul Cellucci, who recently told a foreign affairs conference that the disputed waters in the North should be recognized as sovereign Canadian territory. Celucci said it would be easier for Canada to police than the United States and the decision should be made in the context of North American security. With global warming melting Arctic ice, it's been suggested the Northwest Passage could be opened to shipping, making it quicker trading route to the Far East.

1 comment:

David Wozney said...

Canada's motto is "A mari usque ad mare", which is Latin for "From sea to sea". The Labrador Sea and the Beaufort Sea are each labelled as a "sea", whereas the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean are not labelled as "seas", but rather they are called "oceans".