Protecting the NW passage has become a burning issue in Canada. The global warming has resulted in the ice melting and the crust becoming thinner. This has posed security problems as earlier this area was covered by ice and not easily reachable. Thus protecting the NW passage has become critical for national security. Recently John Harper the Prime Minister has already stood ground against the USA regarding the NW passage.
The stakes are high and Canada needs to establish a firm sovereignity over the NW passage. It is about control of the polar archipelago consisting of over 20000 islands. During most of the times in the year, the islands are fused together by the ice making it a 3000 km wide landmass with a length of 900 km.
The recent meltdown offers a unique opportunity for Canada. The NW passage might become navigable and hence, decrease sea distance between Asia and America. Increasing sea temperature will also offer fishing opportunities, but the dangers of drugs and weapons coming from the unmonitored route is potentially a high risk. Protection of the passage for environmental reasons is also very important and we need to lead the way in this.
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