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The ice in Canada’s Arctic has been steadily melting since 1979. If this trend continues, large swaths of Arctic waters are expected to be free of ice altogether during the summer months.

These changes are leading to a significant increase in cruise ship, tanker and supply vessel traffic in the Northwest Passage, which is concentrated mainly in the easternmost waters of Nunavut. In September, for instance, China sent a “science vessel” into Arctic waters. And in mid-October, U.S. regulators began taking comments on a proposed Arctic oil-drilling site off the coast of Alaska, in the Beaufort Sea, where the Northwest Passage begins.

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Canada is not currently doing enough to patrol and secure its sovereignty over this passage.

Canada naturally defines the enclosed waters as internal

With Canadian territory surrounding the entirety of the Northwest Passage, Canada naturally defines the enclosed waters as internal — and as an area therefore under its sovereignty and law. Canada also has historic title to support its claim to sovereignty over the passage, as Inuit trails have crossed the frozen passage for centuries.