Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper stepped up his country's efforts to control their slice of the far north during a visit to the town of Tuktoyaktuk (which if you have been watching this season of Ice Road Truckers you've become rather familiar with) in the Northwest Territories. This includes extending Canada's jurisdiction of the Arctic Ocean from a distance of 100 miles to 200 miles from their coastline and a new requirement that any ships entering the waters register with Canada's Coast Guard.
Global warming is the reason the countries around the Arctic Ocean are starting to take an interest in it. Large areas of the ocean are now becoming ice free for longer and longer portions of the year. For Canada, not only does this mean access to potentially huge reserves of natural gas and oil, but also that the fabled Northwest Passage is becoming a reality.
For centuries explorers looked for the Northwest Passage (a shortcut route from Europe to Asia by passing north of the American continent), but found only ice. But as that ice retreats, the Passage is becoming a commercially viable route, one that could shave weeks off the travels of the world's largest ships (ones too large to pass through the Panama Canal).
It's also a cause for dispute. Using the Passage would mean sailing between islands in Canada's far north. Right now many, including the European Union, consider these straits international waters. Canada thinks the straits are part of their territory and want to regulate, and likely earn revenue for, their use.
Separately, Harper announced the construction of a new icebreaker to serve as the flagship of the Canadian Navy's Arctic fleet.
"If you are in Canada's Arctic you will be playing by Canada's rules," Harper said in Tuktoyaktuk.
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