Top Ten Reasons to Protect Canada's Arctic Territories

The Arctic is changing at a drastic rate. Thought to be too inhospitable to conquer and exploit, the world has been happy to let Canada keep its northern territories. There was a time when only the Inuit and U.S. Military were interested in living up there. However, as global climate change transforms the face of our Arctic, the area is becoming an increasingly attractive new theatre for industrial development. Rich with natural resources and blessed with huge expanses of untapped land, the Canadian Arctic is now on the radar of numerous nations. No longer are we politely battling with only the Danes, Norwegians and Russians over our claims in the Arctic, but we must now keep an eye on other countries with no historical stake in the north. The world thinks it will just be able to push Canada aside when the time comes, take our stuff and we’ll apologize for being in the way. Well, hell no. The time is nigh that we defend our north, draw a line in the tundra and say: “Back up world.”

No.10 - To keep the bad guys out
The Canadian Arctic coastline is a 156,029-kilometre open gateway into the country. Climate change has made it much easier to access, and as a result we’re getting all sorts of undesirables testing the fence. In 2007, a Norwegian sailboat illegally entered Canadian waters carrying a suspected affiliate of the Norwegian Hells Angels. The following year, the RCMP nabbed a suspected human smuggler/drug trafficker as he attempted to enter Canada through Grise Fiord, Nunavut. The last thing we want is a bunch of marauding bikers and drug smugglers tearing up the Great White North.

No.9 - To protect Aboriginal communities
The northern First Nations are hard people, there’s no doubt about that. The decedents of whalers and caribou hunters, they don’t need the help of us lily-white southerners to survive up there. However, they may need us to fend off the dangers they face due to globalization. The Canadian Government can hardly pride itself on how it has treated our native people. However, we have recently made efforts in helping them preserve their culture, like the Canadian Senate voting unanimously for the Inuit Language Protection Act and the Governor General throwing her political weight behind the seal hunt.

Next No.8 - It will get polluted
As Canadians, we have to be conscious of the need for our environmental security. The Arctic is the natural dumping zone for a lot of the world’s toxins. Pollutants from as far away as India and the Philippines are poisoning our northern communities. Pesticides and fertilizers used in developing countries evaporate into the atmosphere and are carried north. There, these persistent organic pollutants (POPs) find a home in the fat of animals, which is a staple of the Inuit diet. As a result, our northern aboriginal populations are being poisoned. As Canadians, we’ve already taken steps to protect Arctic waters from waste dumping, now it’s time to kick some diplomatic ass and get these airborne POPs globally outlawed.

No.7 - So we can still see the northern lights
The northern lights, polar lights or aurora borealis, regardless of what name you call them by, these natural displays of colour are awe inspiring. The Cree call them the “Dance of the Spirits,” and though the northern lights can sometimes be seen south of 60˚, they mainly hold court in the Arctic. That is until they pave paradise and put up a parking lot. As more people migrate north, amenities will follow and before long light pollution will obscure and erase the northern lights from sight. A dystopic future brought to you by 7-Eleven.

No.6 - To protect wildlife
Sovereignty of our Arctic is essential in protecting the region’s wildlife. There are a number of Arctic species that are classified as threatened or endangered, including the Bowhead Whale and the Peary Caribou. The polar bear is at risk of being the first species to become endangered as a result of global warming. With Arctic sovereignty, Canada can pass legislation that can protect at-risk species, just as we did with the muskoxen population of Quebec.

No.5 - There are a lot of diamonds in the Arctic
Diamond deposits were discovered in the Northwest Territory in 1991. In the 18 years that have followed, Canada has grown to be the third largest diamond supplier in the world, behind Botswana and Russia. Our stones account for 15% of the world’s diamond supply. Unlike the conflict diamonds, or “blood diamonds,” of Sierra Leone and Angola, Canadian diamonds are seen as clean, guilt-free stones, making them all the more precious. This resource is not only important for the money it generates, but also for the money its industry invests into northern regions -- the Snap Lake Diamond Project alone invested $861.3 million into regional contractors and
suppliers.

No.4 - There is a lot of oil in the Arctic
There is an increasing global interest in the energy resources found in the Arctic. Some estimate that as much as 25% of the world's oil and natural gas could potentially reside offshore of Canada, Greenland and Alaska. The world is looking more closely at the industrial development of the region. South Korea has begun investing in icebreakers for their navy, while China and seven other non-Arctic countries have observer status on the Arctic Council, all keen to have their input on the region’s affairs. Canada must now take this time to shore up our claims in the north and define for the world where our sovereignty in the area begins and ends.

No.3 - So the Canadian Rangers can keep kicking ass
Canada’s own Minutemen, the Canadian Rangers, are our first, last and best line of defense in the remote Arctic. Don’t be fooled by their red sweatshirts and ball caps, these guys are badass. The Rangers are a reservist’s military presence in the north; 4,200 strong, the force is made up of mainly First Nations and Inuit volunteers. Their primary duties are to survey the coast and alert the Canadian Forces of any unlawful presence off our shores. They also provide regional expertise and guidance, as well as aid in search and rescue missions. Most Canadians aren’t aware that these guys exist, but they’ve been protecting our northern coastline for nearly 60 years.

No.2 - To assert our authority over the Northwest Passage
We say it’s ours, Europe and the States say it’s international waters -- the Northwest Passage is a key piece of the Arctic that we as a country need sovereignty over. As its ice coverage diminishes and the trading season gets longer each year, the Passage is becoming an increasingly important trade route between Asia and Europe and the Eastern United States. Sovereignty over the Passage means that Canada can establish an international shipping regime in the region that would protect our interests. Having a regime for all ships using the route means that we could protect the region’s environment, increase its security by keeping unwanted people or things out, and ensure that local communities profit from the increased international trading moving through the area.

No.1 - Because we're not going to get pushed around by a bunch of Scandinavians
We’re not going to let any pickled fish-eating, fermented milk-drinking, Viking-loving Scandinavians take over our beloved Arctic. First we had the Danes trying to claim Hans Island. Don’t let the name fool you, this 1.3-square-kilometre piece of rock in the middle of the Kennedy Channel is all Canuck -- we don’t give a damn what the latest satellite images might show. And as for the fishermen from Greenland and the Faeroes Islands coming into our waters and illegally taking our fish, they should knock it off, ask through diplomatic channels if they may have certain limited rights to fish there.We're not an unreasonable people and we will share within acceptable bounds.Please World 'BACK UP OR BACK OFF'.

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