The Northwest Passage is already Canadian - The Globe and Mail
►http://m.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/the-northwest-passage-is-already-canadian/article4356756/?service=mobile
ALors on dira „Passage du Nord-Ouest” ou „Passage Canadien du Nord-Ouest” ou „Passage du Nord-Ouest canadien” ?
Michael Byers
Wednesday, Oct. 28 2009
Like motherhood and apple pie, Arctic sovereignty is difficult to oppose.
So when Conservative MP Daryl Kramp introduced a motion on Oct. 5 to rename the Northwest Passage the “Canadian Northwest Passage,” the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois quickly jumped on board.
It’s time to reconsider that move - before the motion is put to a final vote. Renaming the Northwest Passage would weaken our legal claim, offend the Inuit and contradict centuries of Canadian history.
The proposed name change will not strengthen our claim in international law because the dispute “crystallized” in 1985. After the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Sea sailed through without seeking permission, the Canadian government drew “straight baselines” around the Arctic islands and asserted that the channels within them were “internal waters” subject to the full force of Canadian law.