Cornell International Law Journal Volume 26 Article 2 Issue 2 Spring 1993 The aC nadian-U.S. Northwest Passage Dispute: A Reassessment Donald R. Rothwell Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cilj Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Rothwell, Donald R. (1993) "The aC nadian-U.S. Northwest Passage Dispute: A Reassessment," Cornell International Law Journal: Vol. 26: Iss. 2, Article 2. Available at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cilj/vol26/iss2/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Cornell Law: A Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Cornell International Law Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Cornell Law: A Digital Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Donald R. Rothwell* The Canadian-U.S. Northwest Passage Dispute: A Reassessment Introduction Throughout much of this century Canada has sought to establish con- clusively its sovereignty over the islands and waters which lie immedi- ately north of continental Canada. The Canadian claim to the islands, commonly known as the "Arctic Archipelago," is a vital link to Canada's Arctic presence. Canadians regard themselves as much more Arctic-ori- entated than their United States neighbours. This is no doubt partly a result of the large areas of continental Canada-spanning the Yukon, North-West Territories and part of Quebec-which are sub-Arctic and face the Arctic Ocean and North Pole. The Arctic Archipelago and the fabled Northwest Passage are, however, also a significant part of the Canadian national psyche. As such, any threat to Canada's sovereignty over this region is considered just as significant a threat to the Canadian national interest as would be a claim to the Canadian Rockies.' The first positive evidence of a Canadian claim to these lands and waters came in 1909 in an assertion by Senator Poirier that Canada could draw a series of straight lines from its eastern and western extremities due north to the Pole.