I've been wondering how the climate change would affect politics. I've seen drought start wars for resources in Africa. I never thought about thawing ice.


Canada has announced plans for six naval patrol vessels and a deep-water port in the north to assert its claim to territorial waters in the Arctic.

Other countries, including the US, say the waters are international territory.

The $3bn (£1.5bn) announcement at Canada's Pacific naval base comes in part to fulfil an election promise.

Ottawa also sees economic potential in protecting its claim to the Arctic, as the area is thought to be rich in natural resources.

Since the end of the Cold War, Canada's modest military and coast guard have only rarely patrolled its northern coast line. Now Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the time has come to re-assert Canada's claim to the north.

Oil, gas and diamonds are thought to lie beneath the Arctic waters
At a dockside ceremony complete with brass bands, fluttering flags and sharp white uniforms, the prime minister promised to build at least six new patrol ships with ice-breaking hulls to extend his country's presence into the Arctic Ocean.

That presence, Ottawa hopes, will remind other countries - including the US - of Canada's claim to the waters off its northern coast.

The claim could also have serious economic implications. Natural resources including oil, gas and diamonds are thought to lurk - perhaps in abundance - under the Arctic ice.

And then there is the North-West Passage - the northern shipping route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that European explorers sought for centuries.

With a warming climate, the route may just become viable and lucrative.

A deciding factor in the territorial disputes may be whether Canadians ever actually venture into the areas in question. And so the time has come, Ottawa says, to make sure that they do.

Canada has oil?

The country needs to be made more democratic.
The Canadians need to be made free of their tyrannical regime.
Operation Canadian freedom here we come.

A few weeks back Russia claimed dibbs on the North Pole. Maybe them and Canada can have the next cold war.

A few weeks back Russia claimed dibbs on the North Pole. Maybe them and Canada can have the next cold war.

LOL literally.

it'll be interesting to see Putin threaten Canada with nukes if Canada doesn't "stop its illegal and aggressive occupation of the Russian sovereign territory [the North Pole]"

he is delusional, of course.

It's still damn close to impossible to wage war up there. The U.S could control the water if it wanted to(with subs). The simple fact is this a good move for the future of Canadian claims in the arctic 20 years from now then the NW passage is truely viable and they can make some serious dough of port fee's passage rights etc.

The claim is far from outragous, it is standard to claim a certain amount of water space around the land you have. What is outrageous is claiming that 1 mile of the Canadian coast is international waters. Canada has allowed this shit for far too long(in pacific and off-coast of Newfoundland), and it seems out of place for Canada, but any country would do this.

hey hoser! hehe

it's true... but u see, the Canadian military has reeealll problems getting even a small team of infantry in there. i watched a documentary last year how the helicopter broke so they couldn't get off the boat, then they had to contact the local natives that barely spoke English to get them off the boat, and then transport them to the base in their old rusty-ass pick ups

in reality, the Arctic is Canada's - but who's gonna enforce it? all through-out the 60s, 70s and 80s Soviet scientists have conducted their experiments up there with out coordinating it with Canada first, and the only protests they've met is some private teams flying overhead dropping flyers with Canadian flags.

now that there's an official policy by Putin's Russia to "re-claim" the arctic, Canada is in real deep shit.