Thank you very much for appearing before us today. We're looking forward to embarking on this important study.
Mr. Kessel, I'm going to start with your remarks.
I was a little surprised. The two maritime boundary disputes in this are said to be quite minor; you know, a small claims dispute with the U.S. over the Beaufort Sea. However, is it not true to say that the United States views the Northwest Passage as an international waterway and area of navigation, whereas we view the Northwest Passage as an internal waterway and route?ΒΈ
Isn't it more than just a portion of the Beaufort Sea in terms of our being in conflict with the U.S.?