Arctic Sovereignty: Canada May Fast Track Native Claims

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Arctic Sovereignty: Canada Fast Track Native Claims

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Opinion

Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

Faster than you can say "If we can't have it, neither will you", The Canadian Government sees the Light in the Arctic Sovereignty Debate with Russia and considers the Option of Fast Tracking Native Claims to this Northern Piece of Barren Real Estate.

One can only assume that this move is yet another desperate move with Russia, with the Canadian Government relenting and looking at the option of giving Native Bands their land back. 

My Final Thought
Native Bands may win their claim by default, as one can assume if it were not for the Russians speedy claim of the Arctic,  Canadian Native Bands would still be negotiating with the Canadian Government for their Land  for decades to come.

Feds eye four-point plan to boost sovereignty claim, economic growth in Arctic

By KATHLEEN HARRIS - NATIONAL BUREAU

Enhanced surveillance with space-based satellites, new measures to drive economic development and fast-tracked settlements of Native land claims are options included in a sweeping Arctic sovereignty plan that could be launched with a "major reference" in this fall's Speech from the Throne.

Federal government documents obtained by Sun Media detail a proposed four-pronged "framework for action" that boosts environmental protection, builds a legal case on territorial boundaries and gives Northerners more control over their economic and political destiny.

Prepared by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs after Prime Minister Stephen Harper's trip to the Arctic last month, the report also recommends a Parliamentary resolution to stress the importance of Canada's North.

Resource-rich region

As other polar countries line up to stake territorial claim to the resource-rich region, the report warns that diplomatic persuasion and solid scientific backing are also required to work out jurisdictional spats.

"Geopolitical tension may emerge over energy supply and security," it reads.

Citing Russia's recent flag-planting episode at the North Pole, the policy paper predicts disputes could flare up with the U.S. and Denmark as well as Russia.

The legal status of the Northwest Passage remains a matter of dispute with the U.S., while challenges also lie in the Beaufort Sea and Hans Island. Much of the Arctic sovereignty focus to date has been on the Conservative government's military-based announcements, but the report maps out four "mutually reinforcing strategies" to guide future action in the North.

New governance regimes have served as an inspiration for Northerners, yet they've also added a burden of bureaucratic red tape. More layers of governance can add complexity and cost in the face of increasing economic, environmental and social pressures.

'Urgent social issues'

"Nunavut faces a particular governance and human capacity challenge," the report reads.

"Urgent social issues threaten to seriously hinder development and governance and to leave a generation behind."

The report builds on a May discussion of the Harper cabinet's powerful priorities and planning group, and lists two sets of options to advance the "Northern Agenda."

The first would consolidate and implement initiatives in stages, while the second approach contains "signature federal initiatives," including unspecified "symbolic demonstrations of Canada's sovereignty."

The report suggests the policies could be publicly rolled out through regular announcements, by releasing a public paper on the Northern Agenda or with a "major reference" in the Speech from the Throne.