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Debate Info

5
8
Yes it is! No it is not!
Debate Score:13
Arguments:11
Total Votes:13
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Argument Ratio

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 Yes it is! (5)
 
 No it is not! (6)

Debate Creator

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Arctic Sovereignty, Canada and Conflict

As the ice melts in the Arctic many new challenges have arisen for the Canadian government and the inhabitants of the North.  The Northwest Passage has become a more viable option as a trade route which could shave 7000 km of travel time between trading nations in the Northern hemisphere.  Exploration for oil and other valuable minerals has also increased because of the melting ice and opening trade routes.  Other countries such as Russia and the USA have begun to increase their military capabilities in the North, and have begun to claim the Arctic has part of their continental shelf.  Russia has even gone so far as to plant a flag on the ocean floor in its attempt to claim ownership.  The USA has openly challenged Canada's claim that the Northwest Passage is internal Canadian waters and not international.  The USA has recently bolstered its military presence in Alaska.  Recently Canada stepped up its presence in the Arctic with Operation NUNVALIVUT 15. This operation once again highlighted Canada’s ability to respond to threats in the north, bringing together Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members from 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (1 CRPG), the Third Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (3 PPCLI), as well as airmen and airwomen from the Royal Canadian Air Force, to conduct sovereignty(independent) patrols.  The Arctic situation has the potential to blossom into open conflict between nations; especially given the main players such as the USA and Russia.  The question is how does Canada deal with this issue.  Does Canada go the international route and use the United Nations, and listen to and respect whatever decision it makes?   Does Canada openly and multilaterally work with the other claimant nations to decide what is fair and reasonable?  Or does Canada aggressively protect its sovereignty of the area it believes belongs to them?   Does Canada try to establish military and naval bases in the region to physically control who enters the Northwest Passage and Canada's waters?

 

Here is the question:

 

 

Is it in Canada's national interest to aggressively and physically challenge other nations, militarily and diplomatically, when they infringe on what the Canadian government believes is our area of the Arctic, which includes the Northwest Passage, in order to defend our Arctic sovereignty? Or should Canada be more international in its approach to this new challenge and work with international organizations such as the United Nations?   Pick a stance and argue your position with two or three points.  Make sure you use logic to justify your opinion.

Yes it is!

Side Score: 5
VS.

No it is not!

Side Score: 8
1 point

I believe that it is in Canada's national interest to challenge other nations when they infringe on what is Canadian land. Canada should stand up for what is rightfully theirs and show other countries that they are willing to protect their land with violence. This will show other countries that Canada will stand up to what is theirs and because of other countries not wanting conflict and the loss of their people, they won't provoke the Canadians further. Yes there is a chance war may break through but since majority of countries now are democratic, governments will choose what is best for the people and not to go to war at the risk of lives. I believe that Canada should defend what is rightfully theirs.

Side: Yes it is!
1 point

Eric

It is in the national interest of Canada to stake claims in the arctic. It would be of great benefit for multiple resins, however the big two are oil and the northwest passage. Canada is one of the few developed countries that has an export in energy much of which is oil. the total GDP of Canada in 2013 was 331.9 billion; 24% of that was power. If there is as much oil that geologists say there is locked in the arctic, Canada's economy would be stable for a long time after the oil sands are depleted. Second the northwest passage. If the northwest passage is considered Canadian, witch it is because it goes straight throw beautiful Canadian wilderness, it can become a steady source of income for the economy as long as it remains open for at least the summer months of the year.

Side: Yes it is!
1 point

Canada should open the North west Passage but they should actively and forcefully protect the North West Passage and the Arctic territory because it is in Canada’s national interest to protect the sovereignty of parts of Canada’s land and the passage also goes through the middle of Inuit society which if the passage was opened freely boats passing through would interfere with Inuit society. If the world is going to start drilling and develop the Arctic into recourse rich utopia then Canada should get the piece that they are entitled to get. Considering how rich the Arctic is, you can see why many other countries such as Russia and USA are so interested in the north. Canada should open the Passage for other countries to use but when they do they should put military boats in the area to make sure no countries try to take control of any areas and also make sure that protective measures are taken to preserve the life of the ecosystems in the north. The North West Passage is part of Canada’s land and therefor it should be protected as if it is any other part of Canada. Canada should open the passage but they should charge money to go through the passage just like Panama does in the Panama Cannel. This would provide the Canadian Government with huge revenue they could use for other task and it also go to making sure that if there was ever an oil spill or something of that sort, there would be money to clean it up. Inuit society could also benefit from the opening of the Passage. It could provide Inuit people with jobs which in turn would help the local economy. One way or another the world is going to open up the Arctic and begin to drilling for oil and start digging for resources but it is Canada’s responsibly to protect the Inuit way of life. It’s in Canada’s National interest to open the passage to create revenue and also fight for as much land as we can get in the Arctic if the Governments can support their claims with scientific evidence to back it up. The use of oil is only a sort term fix for the worlds energy supply. For the Government of Canada to open the North West Passage the Government should make any courtiers wanting to use the passage sign a document saying they will encourage scientific advancements for a better cleaner and longer lasting energy supply. This would promote the idea of unlimited clean energy for the world and eliminated the need for oil and to further invade the Arctic. But until that happens it is in Canada’s national interest to protect their Arctic land with force if it necessary and also use the North West passage as a way of revenue.

Side: Yes it is!
1 point

I believe that it is in Canada's best interest to defend what is rightfully theirs. I think that our military should work to patrol ships that are coming and growing through the passage. If the passage is opened to the rest of the world then it will become a very busy route for boats and cruise ships. I feel that these waters are very fragile and there could be spills, taking years to clean up and having devastating effects on the surrounding ecosystems. I think that if the area goes to another nation then the people who are living in the north won't be thought of. The way of life they have and the place that they live will be completely changed. I think that these disagreements between nations can be solved through government talking to each other and making plans, I don't think that the only answer is war. I think that it is in Canada's best interest to protect what is rightfully theirs and protect the sovereignty. I also think that Canada is entitled to a piece of the revenue from the natural resources that lay in the Arctic. Russia and the United States want a piece and Canada should be able to get what lays in or around Canadian territory. I think that they are the ones that should be entitled to it because it lays on their land. I strongly believe that Canada should protect that is rightfully theirs.

Side: Yes it is!
1 point

I think it is in Canada’s best national interest to protect and challenge other nations when they invade on what is known as Canadian land in the Arctic. If the other nations who feel entitled to land are going to start drilling I think Canada should get the piece that they are entitled to. By seeing how rich the Arctic is, you know why so many other countries are trying to claim it such as Russia and the United States. I believe Canada should open up the Northwest Passage for other countries to use, but should have military boats there to protect the delicate ecosystem. If the passage was opened to the rest of the world then it will become very busy. With that I think that we should set up a toll fee for all the ships coming in using the Northwest Passage: this way Canada could make a huge profit. Also if there were ever an oil spill in the water they would have some money to start cleaning it up right away. The Inuit’s could also benefit from the passage being opened because it could provide them with jobs, which would help the economic part of their community. I think that if the Arctic went to another country the Inuit people living in the North would have to find somewhere new to live and would not be thought of. That would be hard for them because their way of life would change forever and they couldn’t keep up with their traditions. I think by having a meeting with the governments from each nation the problem of the Arctic belonging to more than one nation could be solved. It is in Canada’s best interest to open the passage to create revenue and fight for the land that is there’s.

Side: Yes it is!
2 points

It is not in Canada's national interest to to aggressively and physically challenge other nations for our Arctic Sovereignty. I believe appealing to the UN about our findings in the Arctic to prove that we own the Arctic waters and it is not international waters. It should be working with the UN to find a solution to this issue. Canada spends 1% of its GDP on military spending. While super powers such as Russian and the United States are spending 4-5% of their GDP. Military prowess is not a reasonable option for Canada nor should it be for any nation. If we all decide to take up arms and demand what we want regardless of how fair or reasonable it is then what is the point of creating the UN. Canada itself will show geographical findings for oil rights aswell as being able to keep the Northwest Passage as Canadian owned waters. Canada's National interests are economic and inter-nationalistic. We as a nation should strive to for peace and wellbeing alongside economic prosperity using diplomacy, Not military might.

Side: No it is not!
2 points

Canada is in a difficult position. We are fighting for land that a few years nobody cared about so it was just assumed to be Canadian land. But now that the ice is melting it is making once impassable land open water in the summer, allowing ships to take a shortcut through the arctic on their way to Asia and could save almost 2 weeks of travel time and in the long run billions of dollars in savings. Also the melting of ice is creating a rush for land in the arctic circle so that it can be used for its vast amount resources. Attention on the arctic seemed to have happened over night and the smaller nation of Canada is in the middle of it. Personally, I think that Canada should take a more diplomatic route to this situation but keep our ground, oppose to being aggressive and overly protective towards other nations, simply because our nation is under equipped if anything were to happen against countries like Russia, China, or even the USA. Diplomatic doesn’t mean we have fall into the pressure of the bigger powers, it just means we can figure this out in a civilized manner so that we can keep everyone at neutral ground. Canada already has what everyone wants and that is the Northwest Passage and resources, mainly renewable resources. The government should keep the arctic under close watch and keep our land and coastline protected, as well as continue exploration of the arctic to keep up with the many nations rushing in for their piece of the pie. Because of the relative size of Canada against other nations it is important to keep our ground but not engage in any conflict we might not be able to handle, there is already enough on our plate. Canada should focus on our vast amount of resources in the arctic and the ownership of the Northwest Passage and use them as strengths to figure out this situation diplomatically, and uphold our Canadian reputation of patience, kindness, and pride.

Side: No it is not!
1 point

It is not in Canada's national interest to militarily and diplomatically challenge other counties. The first reason would be physically going against other countries could lead to a war. It is not worth it for Canada to take force because the effects of a war have the potential to be way worse than the effects of boats moving through the arctic could have. One benefit countries would have from using the arctic for shipping would be how much faster trading would be. Although having boats move through the arctic is not so environmentally friendly it is the safer way for Canada to deal with the problem.

Side: No it is not!
1 point

I do not think that it is in Canada’s best national interest to aggressively and physically defend the arctic against the other nations who are interested in the Arctic. Canada needs to be more inter-nationalistic and work with the other nations. If Canada militarily challenged the other countries, there could be drastic repercussions Canada. Some countries like the US might hold of trade with Canada or Russia, a military superpower, could use force against Canada. I think that the countries that have legitimate claim to the Arctic should be allowed to use the Northwest Passage. Also there should be a treaty to make sure every nation involved gets a piece of the action. I’m aware that one concern that the Aboriginals have is the pollution and change of their home and that why Canada democratically suggest regulation on shipping inventory and where or if the vessels are allowed to stop in the passage way. If they do stop and get off, they should require passports and have their baggage check just like customs. That incident where that German cruise ship unloaded tourists onto Canadian soil without any permission was unacceptable and if happened in anyone country would've resulted in many consequences. So I think Canada needs to have an international mind set and not isolate it’s self by challenging every country interested in the Arctic.

Side: No it is not!
1 point

Canada should be more international in its approach to this new challenge and work with international organizations such as the United Nations because Canada is not as militarily strong as other countries like Russia or the US. Many nations own a piece of land that is open to the Arctic ocean, like Russia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and the US. In my opinion places like China and India shouldn’t even be considered because they have no connection to the ocean other than using it as a trade route. China and India could use it for passage of their ships, but that's it. I think that one of the ways that the settling of arctic ocean territory could be done by giving certain percentages of land to different nations based on how much land they have exposed to the ocean. Another way that the Arctic dispute could be handled is by land connections on the seafloor showing that it is still a part of that nation's land mass.

Side: No it is not!