Canadian PM vows to defend Arctic

TORONTO, Ontario (AP) — Canada’s prime minister has begun a three-day trip to the Arctic in an effort to assert sovereignty over the region a week after Russia symbolically staked a claim to the North Pole by sending submarines.

Although Stephen Harper’s visit has been planned for months, it has taken on new importance since the Russian subs dived 2


“The Russians sent a submarine to drop a small flag at the bottom of the ocean. We’re sending our prime minister to reassert Canadian sovereignty,” a senior government official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because his language was undiplomatic.

Five countries — Canada, Russia, the United States, Norway and Denmark — are competing to secure subsurface rights to the Arctic seabed. One study by the U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic has as much as 25 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and gas.

Harper, who has pledged to spend billions defending Canada’s sovereignty over the Arctic, is expected to announce the location of a planned military deep water port later in the week.

“Our government has an aggressive Arctic agenda,” said Dimitri Soudas, the prime minister’s spokesman.

AP