Discusses issues surrounding the CanadianArctic such as an ongoing dispute over sovereignty, climatic change, Aboriginal needs, mineral exploitation and matters of defense capability.
Abstract The paper relates that Canadians refer to Arctic Canada as an inland waterway, an archipelago of islands separated by the Northwest Passage, which is claimed by Canada. However, the U.S. and European powers assert that the Northwest Passage is an international sea route. The author points out that, if Canada cannot control and supervise shipping, then there is the likelihood of great environmental damage and the inability of Canada to ascertain if dangerous vessels are traversing the passage. The paper explains that the Inuit, who occupy the area claimed by the U.S as international waters, back the assertion of Canadian sovereignty and the enlargement ot the federal military and civilian administration roles in the Arctic. The author concludes that Canada is committed to the idea that the internationalization of the Northwest Passage represents serious liabilities for Canadians in the region, the environment and geo-political factors.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
The Meaning of CanadianArctic Sovereignty
The American Perspective
Security and Defense
An Arctic, not CanadianArctic Shipping Route
Last Remarks
From the Paper "Prime Minister Stephen Harper's approach has repeated the sentiment of Professor McCrae, in Arctic sovereignty as something that Canada must 'use' or lose. Canadians living in southern areas, critical of the much increased military spending of Harper's government, are generally of kinds to forget the vital everyday roles played by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with regard to the Arctic region. Part of this military investment involves a strong effort to build up the visible CAF presence in the high Arctic, while expanding Arctic capabilities in defense, communications, search and rescue, and civilian services."
Tags: strategic, oil, diamond, inuit, ice, military
Abstract This paper explains that the issues surrounding the massive CanadianArctic region vary but have a direct impact on sovereignty and circumpolar cooperation of countries with respect to environmental issues. The paper then discusses these issues and how they put Canadian sovereignty at risk. The paper argues that must assert a presence in the Arctic region to prevent damage to a very sensitive and valuable ecosystem. By pressuring the international community not to make the Northwest Passage an international strait, Canada will achieve its goal.
From the Paper "The idea of military influence in the north was not only seen in this era. The Cold War, in the post World War Two era focused on the two super powers of the United States and Soviet Union. Because of their nearness to one another circumpolarly, the United States developed the Distance Early Warning system, better known as DEW. The DEW system was a development of a series radar station in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Alaska. It was set up to detect incoming Soviet bombers and missiles during the Cold War."
Tags: pipelines, non renewable resources, cooperation transboundary, boom bust cycle
Abstract An analysis of this book which is a study of the Inuit people of Holman Island, a community in the Northwest Territories of Arctic Canada. It discusses how Condon analyzes their community, family life, relations with friends and peers, gender and sex issues, school and work situations, and prospects for the future.
From the Paper "Intuit, or Eskimos, live in small, isolated villages, usually in groups of only 10 to 50 people, though the exception could be as large a group as 800. Most villages would have perhaps six dwellings. The Eskimo world is small and self-contained not only in terms of the size of the village and the size of the home but also in terms of the circle familiar to a single Eskimo. Relatives constitute the primary world of the Eskimo. The Eskimo family consists of the conjugal unit, a husband, wife, and their children. At the time of first European contact, most women had only two or three children, though Eskimo couples wanted to have as many children as possible. There were two reasons for this fact: 1) there was a high rate of infant mortality; and 2) there was a low effective fertility rate. In this century, however, after Eskimos became relatively sedentary and started weaning their children at a much earlier age, the birth rate exploded to some of the highest levels ever recorded for a human population."
Abstract This paper discusses the Arctic region in Canada and its sovereignty. It describes the many lucrative and economically viable opportunities that exist there. The paper then looks at the problem that exists in that the Arctic area is so vast and so fragile that not many expansions can take place without causing damage to the environment. The paper also discusses demographic problems in the area, but focuses on Canada's sovereignty issues there. In addition, the paper argues that Canada must assert a presence in the Arctic region to prevent damage to a very sensitive and valuable ecosystem. The paper concludes that the possible ramifications for Canada not asserting this presence could lead to poor sustainable development and possible disputes between circumpolar nations in the future.
From the Paper "Military presence in the Arctic region is nothing unfamiliar, past and present. Events such as World War Two led to the construction of designated military bases, which brought about infrastructure to the Arctic region. An example of this infrastructure that was constructed in the Arctic is the Alaska Highway. This highway was completed in October of 1942 and stretches for two thousand four hundred and fifty kilometres (Grant, 1988). This huge undertaking was done mostly by the American government in secrecy. This was because Alaska was apart of the Northwest Staging Route that had aircraft travelling from the United States to the Soviet Union. It was seen as a "jumping off point" to aid the Allied troops in Europe. Many bridges needed to be built along the way and because it was war time there was a lack of man power as well as resources. So as a result, many bridges were disassembled in the southern parts of the United States and reassembled where they were needed along the Alaskan Highway route (Duerden, 2005). At this point in time, Canada would provide "right of ways", and waive import duties and taxes and allow the use of timber and gravel along the route. Canada would attain control of the highway in the Yukon, Alberta and British Columbia portions, six months after the war ended and it would become "an integral part of the Canadian highway system." (Grant, 1988) The negative impacts that the construction of these various airfields and roadways had on the ecosystems of the Arctic region was measurable. The ground that they were built on was permafrost, which is difficult to build on due to the heaving and uplifting that takes place when it freezes then thaws."
Abstract Peripheral to the concern and implications of the melting arctic regions is the concern about the wildlife supported by the region. The author of the paper focuses his study on the arctic fox. The writer attempts to build an understanding and image of this creature about which very little attention has been given in discussions on environmental concerns. This paper examines the role of the arctic fox in the environmental balance of the arctic region; because in the harsh environment of the arctic where it becomes very easy to forget about global warming and endangered habitats in sub zero temperatures, every life form, including the arctic fox, is but a component in the balance of nature and life in the region.
From the Paper "Concerns about the lemming population as a vanishing food source upon which the arctic fox relies is probably less of an issue than what the access to the region will mean to the arctic fox as a species. With the changing weather, it can be expected that mankind will expand his own habitat into regions previously unpopulated in the arctic. A region where the harsh weather itself, the frozen tundra, the snow, are the roaming grounds of the arctic fox, it can be expected that we might see a decline in the numbers of artic fox as a result of man's presence over the environmental changes. The artic fox, described as a "hardy" animal, is no doubt, like foxes in other regions, able to sustain itself as a small predator and as a scavenger of bigger animals; but it probably cannot stave off the harm it faces by the presence of mankind in its environment."
Abstract This paper defines the Arctic in terms of geography and culture. The author performs a SWOT analysis to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of increased Arctic travel and tourism. The paper concludes that increased environmental government regulation is needed to maintain sustainable development.
From the Paper "Despite the harsh climate and isolation, it seems as though more and more people are traveling north to the Arctic as an alternative to the traditional ski trip and a beach vacation. According to some Arctic experts, travelers have made their way to the Arctic by ships for some time now. Ship based tourism has mostly been small scale; however, the cruise business world has recently experienced an increase in growth particularly with regard to the size and number of vessels destined for the Arctic."
Abstract In recent months, the furor over the release of Karla Homolka has sparked heated debate and calls for a review of the Canadian justice system. The following paper examines three contentious areas of the Canadian legal system that seem in desperate need of a reassessment. The first of these revolves around the growing perception that the Canadian judiciary is arrogant, perhaps even irresponsible, and simply unresponsive to the concerns of ordinary Canadians. The second area revolves around the treatment of aboriginal peoples within the Canadian justice system and the third and last area revolves around the difficulty that Canadian law-makers and justices are having in reconciling the somewhat amorphous multiculturalism they embrace in theory with the fundamental liberal democratic tenets that under-gird the Canadian justice system.
Abstract This paper reviews the Canadian film industry, one that is said to be a composite of three different unique bodies that have combined to create a dynamic film environment; albeit not a uniquely Canadian one. The paper goes on to discuss how while the indigenous Canadian film industry is still extant it might be described as moribund at best. If not for governmental support for the indigenous film industry, independent Canadian film making might already be extinct. The Canadian film industry is relatively healthy overall but the figures indicate strictly indigenous Canadian films, outside of one or two major production houses, may suffer revenue and market difficulties in the years ahead.
Abstract The paper contends that the treatment of Japanese Canadians by the Canadian government during and after World War II was deplorable. The paper then discusses how the Canadian government acknowledged the racist character of these policies in 1988 and offered redress to the Japanese Canadian population.
From the Paper "Japanese Canadians during the Second World War were forced to contend with a decades-old torrent of racial discrimination that culminated in their internment and forced labor by the Canadian government. The treatment of Japanese Canadians during this period appears particularly cruel-even sinister-when one considers that of the Canadians evacuated from the Pacific Coast of Canada, most were Canadian-born and naturalized Canadian citizens."
Tags: japanese canadians, world war II, internment, deportation, War Measures Act
Abstract Summary: This paper introduces a variety of published work pertaining to subjects of the Canadian mass media. A tendency that is noted, in different places, is that of Canadians assuming that their media are free in comparison with the mass media influences of the United States, or the United Kingdom, for example. However, as is mentioned, the Canadian media seem to be shaped by their environment, and the environment beyond Canada to a significant degree.
Abstract The paper studies and compares the education systems and their goals in Canadian and the United States. It shows that these school systems share many aspects, including a striving for better education, a constant drive for better technology and a consistent effort to better educate their students. The paper explains that while the methods of instruction and the funding for the system may differ, each share the common goal of a quality education for all students. It argues that, by learning from some successes of Canadian schools, the United States could further its ability to better educate all students in the system. In today's global economy, and in the age of information, there can be no substitute for education. It shows that if, by learning from other nations, the United States is able to provide a better education to the people, then the sanctioning bodies must come together in unity.
From the Paper "The first of these values is equality of access. This value used to be defined as making public education available to a thin population across an entire continent (Fleming, 1997). Currently, equality of access is seen mainly as the eradication of the barriers to education caused by language, gender, race, or physical or mental disability. In fact, the Canadian Council of Ministries of Education, in their Pan-Canadian Protocol for Collaboration on School Curriculum in 1997 stated, ?The ministers wish all citizens to have a fair and equitable opportunity in education and wish to provide increased accessibility to education.?
Closely related to this fair education policy is the value of equality of educational opportunity. This value is described as the idea that the quality and choice of educational programs should not be lessened by where a person lives (Fleming, 1997). As part of the Pan-Canadian Protocol (1997), the ministry stated that one of the objectives of the Corroboration was the ?application of technology to curriculum and the use of distance education for delivery.?
Abstract This paper addresses this question in terms of both Canadian laws governing child pornography on the Internet, and the role of these laws in terms of wider international legislation and norms in this area. It will be argued that the key problem related to Canadian child pornography legislation and the Internet is not so much a need for stronger laws, but rather the enforcement of those that currently exist.
Abstract The problem for immigrants to Canada is cultural confusion. Immigrants do not know to which culture, that of their original country or that of Canada, they belong. This is the problem discussed by Bannerji in her essays on cultural conflicts for Canadian immigrants. In this paper I argue that Bannerji does not support the Canadian government's policy of "multiculturalism" towards the cultures of immigrants. Yet, while she retains an interest in her original country of India, Bannerji does not seem to have many cultural traditions of her home country. This is, I think, a sign of the cultural confusion that she says immigrants have.
Abstract This paper states that he Canadian health care system is broken. The author compares the Canadian health care system in relation to health care in other nations. The paper concludes that NAFTA has not significantly affected the disparate levels of health care available its three member nations.
From the Paper "The Canadian health care system is broken. This condition is not an unusual one in health care, unfortunately. Similar difficulties exist in countries with similar systems, such as Finland and Sweden. But broken health care systems are not limited to those countries with socialized medicine. Other countries, such as the United States and Mexico, also have difficulty providing consistently adequate health care in a timely fashion to all of their citizens. How do the problems within the Canadian health care correlate with those of other countries? "
Abstract This paper evaluates the meaning and significance of Canadian citizenship to its residents. The author points out that there are a number of challenges to be considered, including cultural diversity and the ability of individuals to accept their citizenship and to expand their role in local communities. The paper stresses that these issues are important to all Canadians.
