Harper flexes Canadian control of Arctic waters, expands pollution jurisdiction

In a move that Arctic experts have long called for, Harper announced that all ships sailing into the Canadian Arctic will be required to report to NORDREG, the Canadian Coast Guard agency that tracks vessels on such journeys.

Harper said his government will also double the jurisdiction of the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act to 370 kilometres from Canadian shores.

"These measures will send a clear message to the world," Harper said during a cold, blustery press conference held on the shores of the Beaufort Sea.

"Canada takes full responsibility for environmental protection and enforcement in our Arctic waters."

Although Canada's claim to the Northwest Passage is not generally recognized internationally, Harper said he expects foreign ships to abide by the new requirement.

"Some countries may object to what we're doing on principle, on the grounds that they may not recognize our sovereignty. I expect that we will get co-operation for the most part on reporting because I think it ultimately is in everybody's interest to ensure that there is some kind of authority in the area, some kind of environmental and commercial authority.

"I think everybody understands that Canada (has) . . . no particular power play here. This is in the interests of order and also in the interests of environmental protection."

Harper said Canada is preparing to deal with those who don't register.

"We're increasing our Coast Guard fleet. We will be increasing our capacity to intercept and detain those who don't respect the reporting requirements."

The move is just the latest Tory initiative to burnish their Arctic credentials in advance of an anticipated fall election.

The Harper government has pledged billions on military and coast-guard spending and created a number of vast new parks and protected areas. On Tuesday, Harper announced a $100-million extension to a geoscience program to map potential mineral reserves in the North.

Arctic expert Rob Huebert of the University of Calgary welcomed Wednesday's announcement.

"It's an absolutely good thing to be doing," he said.

While most cruise ship companies do register, Huebert said two ships during last year's season ignored NORDREG.

"For the most part, the countries that are going into the Arctic right now are co-operating," he said.

"It's the new companies coming into the Arctic that could be a concern. Mandatory registration will force new ones to comply."

Huebert said the Americans are unlikely to complain about the new requirement, although he said the perceived threat to U.S. freedom to sail those waters could come up during the American presidential campaign this autumn.

"One can't assume total rationality during an election campaign."

Control and development of the North is expected to be a major plank in the Conservative election platform. It's a Tory touchstone that goes back to the Diefenbaker era of the late 1950s and early '60s.

Canada's control of the passage is widely disputed internationally, including by the United States and the European Union. Most countries consider the passage to be international waters.

Ships currently must register with NORDREG to gain access to Canadian Coast Guard information on weather and ice conditions and the great majority of them do. Private pleasure craft, however, usually don't.

This summer has seen record traffic by cruise ships and pleasure craft in the Arctic.

There will be 26 voyages by cruise ships. At least eight pleasure craft are thought to be somewhere in the passage right now.

Denmark has long required all ships venturing into Greenlandic waters to register with its authorities.