How should Canada approach the NWT dispute?

How should Canada approach the NWP dispute?

  • Take it to international binding arbitration, and abide by and defend whatever decision is made.

    Votes: 5 35.7%
  • Further militarize.

    Votes: 6 42.9%
  • Other answer.

    Votes: 3 21.4%

  • Total voters
    14

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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I would say take it to international binding arbitration and then uphold whatever decision is made. I could agree with militarization to uphold that decision, but can't support militarization prior.
 

lone wolf

Grossly Underrated
Nov 25, 2006
32,493
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In the bush near Sudbury
What arbitration? What is the width of every channel? If a boat can sail through in international water all the way from one end to the other ... then it might be declared as open.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Ottawa, ON
What arbitration? What is the width of every channel? If a boat can sail through in international water all the way from one end to the other ... then it might be declared as open.

I don't understand what you mean. Are you referring to some official definition of 'open waters'?
 

Tyr

Council Member
Nov 27, 2008
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What arbitration? What is the width of every channel? If a boat can sail through in international water all the way from one end to the other ... then it might be declared as open.


Between Somerset and Cornwallis Islands (the northern route) the only feasible channel is within Canadian waters.

The channel between Banks Island and Victoria Island is really too shallow for a boat of any size to traverse. It's completely within Canadian territorial waters anyways.

The channel between Victoria Island and the mainland (the southern route) is completely in Canadian waters

You have to at some point go through Canadian territorial waters at some point if you want to traverse the passage unless you sail up to nearly the geographic North Pole and that would take the distance advantage out of the passage.
 
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Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
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Yes I am because there are few points where any of the NWP channels are wide enough to have any portion more than 200 miles from a shoreline

Interesting. Do you have a reference for this? I don't think we can't deny that there is a dispute. I'm sure any arbitration would take this into account.
 

RanchHand

Electoral Member
Feb 22, 2009
209
8
18
USA
Even Russia and the EU think you're full of crap. If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles to passengers on cruise liners.
 

Tyr

Council Member
Nov 27, 2008
2,152
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38
Sitting at my laptop
Even Russia and the EU think you're full of crap. If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles to passengers on cruise liners.

If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles

No room. Some greedy sumbit' bought up all the concessions to sell those lovely, 24 carat gold gilded dinner plates embossed with Obama's face for three easy payments of 19.95.


They've throw in a commemorative toilet role holder if you order by credit card in the next 12 minutes.

I've got 12 !!!!:cool::cool:
 

Tyr

Council Member
Nov 27, 2008
2,152
14
38
Sitting at my laptop
Even Russia and the EU think you're full of crap. If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles to passengers on cruise liners.

besides. this isn't the USA. Not everything and anything is for sale
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Ottawa, ON
Even Russia and the EU think you're full of crap. If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles to passengers on cruise liners.

Well, if they're right, then binding arbitration would reveal that, wouldn't it?
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Ottawa, ON
Best one I can find on short notice and in post response time. Most was memorized over a couple of years worth of Arctic patrols....

The Northwest Passage: Arctic Straits - Google Book Search

Thanks. Now honestly, I don't care about Canada 'winning' the case, but merely that a decision be made that settles the dispute in conformity with justice. So certainly this would help our case, unless some other law exists with which I'm unaware. Again, it's not a question of whether Canada would win or lose the case, but rather that we abide by a decision that is just to all parties involved, according to international laws and regulations that all must abide by equally.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
108,912
11,193
113
Low Earth Orbit
If you people had any entrepreneurial spirit you would be lining up sites to sell souvenir chotchkies like hand carved totem poles to passengers on cruise liners.

Or Aluminum rail cars to move intermodal units over thawed muskeg and tundra onto specialized arctic hulled barges to and from the Port of Churchill that was sold for $10 by the federal govt?
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
43
48
Red Deer AB
You have to think bigger, Hudson Bay has to be warmed up enough to become the new Med year round.

More seriously a user fee should be established so the Canadian taxpayer is stuck with the bill for an oil-spill caused by a drunken sea Captain from and off-shore registered Canada Steamship.
 

Machjo

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 19, 2004
17,878
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Ottawa, ON
You have to think bigger, Hudson Bay has to be warmed up enough to become the new Med year round.

More seriously a user fee should be established so the Canadian taxpayer is stuck with the bill for an oil-spill caused by a drunken sea Captain from and off-shore registered Canada Steamship.

Should it be decided that this is Canadian waters, then I could fully agree. In fact, Canada could even try to argue that case. If it's international waters, Canada is helpless in protecting the local ecology. If it's deemed Canadian water, then Canada can in fact defend it more effectively. But as with any international dispute, it should go to binding arbitration ASAP to get the dispute over with and behind us, so that we can move on with our lives.
 

MHz

Time Out
Mar 16, 2007
41,030
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Red Deer AB
Then rather than use that passage as the test-bed for final resolutions look at Hudson's Bay, it is either all Canadian or it is mostly international water, even with a 200 mile economic buffer-zone.
Using that would certainly determine who owns it but that decision would create hell for that narrow strip of water in the Persian Gulf. That seaway has no alternative route, if a shipping company doesn't want to pay Canada user fees it would be more than free to come up the east coast of Greenland and enter the Arctic Ocean via that route and they would never leave international waters.