beneath
the
Arctic
waters

By WILLIAM TURNER

The top-level meeting between Prime
Minister Trudeau and President Nixon
on March 24 in Washington will have
as its objective not only the aim to
ensure Canada’s continued commitment
to the NATO pact but to open the door
to further violations of our political
sovereignty.

News reports from government
sources in Ottawa indicate that among
matters under discussion will be Can-
ada’s expressed concern over its low-
ered oil exports to the U.S. The high
priority accorded this matter lends cre-
dence to the opinion that American
oil interests are seeking to use it as
an opener for bigger stakes. More re-
cent press reports confirm that this is
linked with the exploration and drilling
for oil currently underway by U.S. oil
monopolies in Canada’s Arctic. Therein
lies the real threat as to whether Can-
ada shall retain its right and control
over its Arctic resources.

A squeeze play has been mounted by
the oil interests backed by official U.S.
government agencies challenging Can-
ada’s right of jurisdiction. The Liberal
government through its External Affairs
minister Mitchel Sharp concedes the
challenge of sovereignty by the U.S.
by admitting “the matter is in dispute.”
On what grounds is there even a basis
for dispute? In answer to that question
Mitchell Sharp as a Liberal cabinet
minister knows very well there is no
basis whatsoever.

The Canadian Arctic, formerly the
domain of the Hudson’s Bay Company,
was ceded to Canada by Great Britain
in 1880. In the 1920’s Canada under-
took extensive scientific exploration
work, established police posts primari-
ly to prove occupation and to demon-
strate her sovereignty. To ensure this
as a point of international law a pro-
posal first raised in the Canadian Sen-
ate in 1907 was formally proclaimed
in the House of Commons in 1925.
Known as the Sector Principle which
has been widely applied in the Ant-
arctic by the U.S., Canada lay claim
to all lands “discovered or yet to be
discovered” between the meridians of
60 degrees and 141 degrees west. While
there are no more lands to be discov-
ered in the Arctic, the boundaries of
Canada’s sovereignty must remain un-
disputed as a right of, possession and
backed by law. It is pertinent to the
point that there has never been any
challenge to Canada’s Arctic rights
prior to the discovery of its vast oil
potential.

The size of this great northern em-
pire above the Arctic Circle is difficult
to comprehend. It covers 525,000 square
miles. It stretches northward beyond
the coastal plains of the North West
Territories, to the northerly tip of
Ellesmere Island, it is bounded on the
east by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait and
on the west by the Beaufort Sea. This
is larger than the combined areas of
Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island,
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It is

ception of the North West Territories
it is exceeded by only one Canadian
province, the North West Territories it
is exceeded by only one Canadian prov-
ince, Quebec.

Moving in to plunder its resources
is the aim of the oil monopolies. In the
forefront are five of the leading inter-
national corporations all U.S. owned.
Armed with oil leases granted by the
Federal government extensive explora-
tion and well drilling is underway by
Standard Oil (New Jersey), Gulf Oil,
Standard Oil of California, Texaco, and
Mobil. The other three world oil mo-
nopolies are also there to grab their
share of the booty. They are Royal
Dutch Shell, British Petroleum, and
French Petroleum Company. In the lat-
ter two their governments have an in-
vestment of 49 percent and 35 percent
respectively. These eight international
oil trusts control, exclusive of the So-
cialist world, 60 to 70 percent of the
production, refining and marketing of

the world’s oil.

The Canadian government participa-
tion in the oil search is dwarfed along-
side the might of the monopolies. Nev-
ertheless, with an investment of $20
million amounting to a 45 percent inter-
est she has joined with 20 oil and min-
ing companies in exploratory work and
a test-well on Melville Island this sum-
mer. This move by the government
could be the basis of extending further
public control in the utilization of its
natural resources in the north as the
centre of a new national policy. The
preliminary steps that need to be taken
to achieve such a policy require that
Canada firmly insist upon its national
sovereignty in the north. There can be
no other course or alternative for Can-
ada short of being faced with a virtual
takeover of our Arctic by the U.S.

The driving force of the oil mono-
polies to assert their right to exploit
the Arctic is based upon what may
prove to be the greatest oil reserves
left in the world. The Canadian publi-
cation Oil Week estimates the potential
as in the range of 100 billion to 300

. billion barrels. The known proven oil

reserves in the world (exclusive of
the Socialist sector) are approximately
360 billion barrels. It is estimated that
the oil reserves within the U.S. will be
exhausted within 15 to 20 years. This
is based upon its present demands of
consuming each year 35 percent of the
world’s total oil production. In 1966
this accounted for 580 million tons of
a total world output of 1,661 million
tons (source: Petroleum Information
Bureau).

Faced with the ugly reality posed by
this grim prospect, U.S. oil monopolies
have embarked upon an extensive pro-
gram of survey and exploration for new
oil fields within the continental United
States, Alaska and Canada.

In June last year a major oil dis-
covery with a potential of 5-10 billion
barrels took place at Prudhoe Bay on
the north-east coast of Alaska close to
the Yukon. It immediately sparked an

also greater in‘size/than Alberta and»~ . ‘intensive:search throughout . Canada’s
Saskatchewa:

ip 'togethersWith “the /ex-
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 21, 1969—Page 6

Arctic region an area known to pos-.

oo.

sess the same sedimentary oil bearing
rock formation and structure as the
Alaska find. The huge capital outlay
required for any undertaking of this
magnitude was noted by the Financial
Post (Nov. 30, 1968) basing its find-
ings on figures compiled by the Can-
adian Petroleum Association, that ex-
clusive of the exploration expendi-
tures in the four western provinces oil
interests will spend $350 million—
$450 million in the years 1968-72 as
against $120 million in the preceding
five years.

According to the Financial Post in
the same news report there are two
vital factors that have a direct bear-
ing on these huge expenditures. It is
the north it has in mind as it sees,
“the necessity of the world in general
and North America in particular, to
look to more remote and less acces-
sible regions for adequate oil supplies
to meet long-term requirements, the
developing technical capability which
makes exploration and production from
these regions economically feasible.”

There is another major factor that
motivates the actions and governs the
policy of the monopolies in their quest
for oil. It is where a favorable political
climate exists that will allow for a
minimum of supervision and control
yet ensure maximum profits. It is a
treasured haven for monopoly, where
governments are amenable and oil is
king. Wherever people have rebuffed
and taken action against the sellout
of their governments the oil trusts
have moved to perpetuate their reign
by resorting to brutal suppression and
armed conflict. They have been syno-
nymous with palace revolutions and
gun-boat diplomacy. But this policy is
moving inexorably to its inevitable
bankruptcy hastened by a world preg-
nant with change. The peoples of the
oil-rich lands of the Middle East and
Latin America are slowly but surely
on their way towards freeing them-
selves from the stifling domination of
their economic and political life.

With the rumblings for change be-
coming clearly audible, giants like
Standard Oil, haunted by the prospect
of the depletion of U.S. oil reserves at
home, are speeding plans to adopt new
strategy to meet this threat. It re-
volves around a policy based upon con-
tinentalism directed towards harnes-
sing the energy resources of North
America within the orbit of the Unit-
ed States. Canada, and its Arctic re-
gions, are regarded by Washington to
possess the greatest potential reserves
extremely vital for the success of this
plan

It may be quite possible that some-
thing in the nature of a firm commit-
ment may have already been reached
between the Canadian and U.S. gov-
ernments, involving Canada’s Arctic
territories. This contention and its
probable validity may be weighed
alongside thé passage of events
that have preceded the Trudeau-Nixon
meeting.

-Hardly-..an-. audible whisper.. has

been heard in the House to con-

eg el? ‘ " >

There is no other choice.

owns the
Arctic?”
game

demn the government. followin
disclosure of the existence of a secre
agreement covering Canada’s oil ey

port quotas to the U.S. signed in Sey
tember 1967 by the former US. Se
retary of the Interior Udall and Car
ada’s minister of industry, trade an
resources Jean Luc Pepin. The detail
of the agreement were not considere
to be in the public’s interest, accord
ing to the Minister.

With this sordid background as |
guide the U.S. has continued its polit
ical pressures as the Washington talk
draw closer, to proceed with its plan
that envisage Canada’s northland a
an American hinterland. It has spur
ed the request by Canada for joint na
vigation aid through the Arctic water
of the North-West passage, the plan
ned route of the future super oil tank
ers destined for the eastern seaboan
and Europe. The. avowed aim of th
U.S. is obviously to reduce Canada’
Arctric role to that of a vassal
allowed the status of a pilot authorit
in its own waters. The U.S. by chal
lenging Canada’s sovereignty over it
Arctic is pursuing a course destined tt
secure the Arctic waters as a matt
clausum—a closed sea.

Canadians must reject this braze
demand outright. Under pretext of tht
Arctic islands being within interna
tional waters U.S. objectives are de
signed to maintain its hegemony asé
sphere of influence beyond its ow
borders. :

During the latter half of the 190
century when British imperialism
dawn of bloody conquest began ®
Africa, Cecil Rhodes arrogantly voice
its predatory ambitions, “I would
nex the stars if I could.’’ One wou
affirm that today in the latter half ¢
the 20th century with the U.S.
monopolies casting rapacious des
on Canada’s Arctic, it is not fant
or any idle dream.

Canadians must begin to press
for a halt to this suicidal policy as!
assumes the proportions of a natiom
disaster. .

This calls for a broadly represef
tive movement of the people embré
ing Communists, NDP} the 1
population, trade unions, intellect
and students. The labor movemell
must arouse the potential force of!
power to demand a national oil pol!
asserting Canada’s national sovereiét
ty and independence. Above all
voices of the people need to be ht
clearly on this issue in the House
Commons. The government must °
made aware that there can be no agit
ments secret or otherwise entered I”)
with the U.S. oil monopolies
violate Canada’s traditional, sovere
ty inthe Arctic. The course is (@
Either Canada succumbs to oultl
domination of her future by the ©”
or she stands on guard armed with
new national policy that will not 0
ensure a north “strong and free’ ®
will open up a new vision of the
ture for her people. It rests with
adians to act now before it is too

igh