Correction: “Regulation requires the waters to be internal waters, rather than international waters” should have been “Regulation requires the waters to be territorial, archipelagic, internal, or contiguous zone waters, rather than international waters.”
A map of the area in question. When you look at it like that, it is pretty obvious that the passage does indeed go through Canada. Where it gets interesting is that the land it goes through is inhospitable, barely inhabited land.
Is there any discussion about the Northeast Passage, going above Russia to the Bering Straight? Is that feasible?
You guys had better hope that Canada gets the claim to it. In fact, you should help us make the claim and support us on it.
Because Russia wants it.
The Russians have even gone so far as to use a submarine to plant a flag on the sea bed.
You’re worried about what Canada will do with ownership of the Northwest Passage? Just wait and see what kind of fun you’re going to have if Putin owns it.
I’ve got the slogan for the campaign to assert Canadian control:
Nyet to Putin! Da to poutine.
The Russians planted a flag at the North Pole, not in the Northwest Passage. Despite the article’s sensational headline of “Russia leads Arctic race to claim Northwest Passage”, there doesn’t seem to be any mention of any Russian activity within the Northwest Passage itself. The passage is clearly not Russian, and the US’s position that it is an international strait wouldn’t in any way give the Russians any ownership of it.
Is Canada beefing up their navy?
There has been commercial shipping on the northeast passage since the late 19th century, mostly over two seasons, and a lot simply not making it all the way. Thanks to icebreakers, it has been used since the 1930s for commercial shipping. Beluga sent a couple of ships through last season ( http://www.beluga-group.com/uploads/media/2009-12-01-Ships-Monthly-Succesful-Transit_01.pdf ) as part of a convoy that had icebreaker escort for part of the way, but the icebreakers were not physically necessary to the making of the voyage by the Beluga’s ships.
It mostly comes down to economics. The freighters need to be built to handle ice (double hulled, etc.), and the Russian ice breaker fleet needs to be maintained. http://www.fni.no/insrop/ (BTW, they have huge nuclear icebreakers that can handle much thicker ice than anything anyone else has. 50 Let Pobedy - Wikipedia )
Yes. We’re getting some arctic/offshore patrol ships that can handle first year ice, which should suffice for interdicting commercial vessels wanting to pass through out waters. http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/cms/3/3-a_eng.asp?id=617 Note that we already have non-military Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers.
BTW, when it comes to Canada and its armed forces, projects (such as the A/OPS) tend to be on-again/off-again, so I really don’t know when we’ll get them.
Well . . . that’s like saying you have to pass through U.S. waters if you sail through any part of the Pacific between Hawaii and the mainland. No one disputes Canada’s ownership of the islands around the NWP. The question is how far offshore a country’s territorial waters extend.
If Canada is claiming ownership of the North Pole, quite frankly the Russians have every right to as well.
Nothing in the article states Russia is claiming ownership over the Canadian archipelago or the waters within in.
I’d say more like if you were passing between Hawai’i and Maui, given that map.
Here is what the Ruskies are claiming. The red shaded areas set out their new claims, based on extended continental shelf. http://www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/submissions_files/rus01/RUS_CLCS_01_2001_LOS_2.jpg (The red arcs describe 200 miles from shore.) They say that the flag planting at the pole was simply because they were the first ones there, and not to secure a claim. http://www.mid.ru/brp_4.nsf/e78a48070f128a7b43256999005bcbb3/d70a7abf573e5873c325733200428884?OpenDocument
I thought the basic framework for international sovereignty recognized territorial rights to 12 miles, not 200 miles. I thought only China used the 200 mile standard, and that this was a constant point of conflict as US spy planes would fly 12 miles out and China claimed this to be within their territorial sovereignty, while we claimed that it was not.
If Canada wants to restrict passage. Then they shouldn’t have any problem with being restricted going past the Aleutians then. 
There’s two definitions of sovereignty. One is the right of safe passage on the high seas, which in most cases is acknowleged to be 12 miles.
The other is the right to economic use of the seas, which is generally 200 miles. That’s for stuff like fishing, oil, etc.
Of course, a quick look at a globe will tell you that these things are general guidelines at best because the Earth wasn’t very cooperative in making all the world’s coastlines perfectly shaped to accomodate the 12 and 200 mile limits. How do you define who owns the rights to fishing in areas that are less than 200 miles from both Nova Scotia and Maine? Can the UK or Morocco both stop ships from passing through the Strait of Gibraltar, since you can’t go thorugh without being within 12 miles of both?
This stuff is a matter of negotiation and realpolitik.
The area in question is within Canada’s territory, as much as the straits through the southern tip of Chili are theirs. How does Chile handle random ships going through those straights?
In any event, it seems Canada has a stake in ship passage as it would clearly fall to the Canadian Coast Guard to patrol the area to provide assistance to any ships in trouble. Additionally, Canadian icebreakers will no doubt be employed to keep the ice clear longer into the colder parts of the year. Any problems that occur - like tanker spills, etc. will have a negative economic impact on Canada.
As a result of this ongoing maintenance and risks, it seems reasonable that Canada should be able to charge for passage through the area - much as Egypt charges for passage through the Suez Canal. Egypt charges $250,000 per ship per trip.
Not if the Law of the Sea Treaty has been ratified by the relevant countries. Canada is one. The US is not.
Russian politicians say a lot of things. 
Canada is indeed aware of the political maneuverings going on regarding this area - we’ve already had a bit of conflict with Denmark over it. I think it’s entirely possible that we may have to significantly beef up our navy and our presence in the far north. Don’t want to lose another big chunk like Alaska. 
The US is going to win in any sort of dispute. Any sort of compromise we reach is due to the magnanimity of the United States of America. Lets be honest here.
That Northwest Passage ain’t too useful if we don’t allow the ships to pass through the Bering Sea.