Yes.
Concerning the legal status of the Northwest Passage, of course the main route of the Northwest Passage is the one at the entrance of Lancaster Sound, the McClure Strait, and the Amundsen Gulf. This will definitely become, in a matter of a few years, according to the scientists—in particular
Mr. Fortier, who is an eminent authority on the subject, —
the main route, and not the others.
I was in an icebreaker for 28 days, the Sir John Franklin, and this is the route we followed. It is, shall we say, not as dangerous a route insofar as the presence of ice is concerned, but a much longer route. It is a particularly slow route because we do not have up-to-date hydrography; we do not know precisely everywhere where the bottom is.