[Toro]

I read an article today that said not only does the US not recognize the Northwest Passage as sovereign Canadian waters, but neither does the EU.

What, exactly, is Canada's basis for claiming the passage under International Law?

[Arctic_Menace]

Because Santa lives at the North Pole, and his address is H0H 0H0, North Pole, CANADA.

[Arctic_Menace]

Don't fuck with Santa, man. He knows where you live.

[xerxes]

To the best of my knowledge, Canada's position is that the the islands that line the NW Passage are Canadian territory and thus the waters are Canadian by virtue of the international convention (I forget the name of it off the top of my head) that declares that all waters off the coast of a sovereign nation to a distance of 12 miles are territorial waters.

[BartSimpson]

Toro Toro:

I read an article today that said not only does the US not recognize the Northwest Passage as sovereign Canadian waters, but neither does the EU.

What, exactly, is Canada's basis for claiming the passage under International Law?

Under International Law, which Canada recognized upon ratifying the Treaty of the Seas, it is Canadian territory but it is also open to unfettered transit by international shipping. The two places in the world with similar political situations are the Straits of Malacca (sp?) between Indonesia and Malaysia and the Bosporous in Turkey.

Ironically, the USA invokes the Treaty because Canada ratified it, but the USA itself refuses to ratify it.
IMHO that gives Canada a right to limit access to signatories of the Treaty.

Even then, the EU is a signatory and under the Treaty has legitimate rights to transit the passage without any further permission.

[Arctic_Menace]

Don't forget about the EEZ(Exclusive Economic Zone). At least I believe that is what it is called.

[kaetz]

Arctic_Menace Arctic_Menace:

Don't fuck with Santa, man. He knows where you live.

[Robair]

Canada claims the passage as internal waters, does it not? Instead of an international striaght or whatever.

I dunno.

[Clogeroo]

$1:

Don't forget about the EEZ(Exclusive Economic Zone). At least I believe that is what it is called.

In the treaty that does allow ships free speedy passage through though. You can't just block the whole thing off.

[BluesBud]

[font=Comic Sans MS]Even Canadian Polar Bears are not afraid
of flags planted underwater. [/font]

[font=Comic Sans MS] "Hey! What'cha doin' down there?" [/font]
Who says we don't patrol the north!

[Hyack]

The Law of the Sea

[Bodah]

We only need to station some trooper like Steven up in the artic, supply him with booze and food and everyone else will back the fuck off !

[youtube width=425 height=350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI45kamy83A[/youtube]


[align=center]It's my Island !!![/align]

[Arctic_Menace]

Clogeroo Clogeroo:

$1:

Don't forget about the EEZ(Exclusive Economic Zone). At least I believe that is what it is called.

In the treaty that does allow ships free speedy passage through though. You can't just block the whole thing off.

I never said that it was prohibited, just that it is Territorial waters.

[Hyack]

The principal foundation in law for Canada's sovereignty claim over the waters of the Arctic Archipelago is that the waters lie behind the proper baselines for the measurement of the territorial sea (and hence are internal waters of Canada) and that the Northwest Passage does not constitute an international strait (and hence there is no right of passage through it for foreign vessels).

[sasquatch2]

Bodah

$1:

We only need to station some trooper like Steven up in the artic, supply him with booze and food and everyone else will back the fuck off !

Really? Seriously, in the 21st century more is necessary than the NDP membership secretary.

My suggestion is that we mine the Prince of Wales Strait. We don't use it that much.

Mining Barrow Strait would be very inconvenient.

We could always blame it on Al Qaida.......or the Mohawks.