I think there is a good chance, because the international community does not understand that the existence of aboriginals living on and off the ice as one unit makes the Northwest Passage different. Many individuals I discuss this with will say that the Philippines is an international strait, and the Gulf of Hormuz is an international strait. But I say that the ice cover makes this different; this is a fundamentally different issue.
The fact that out of 90 or so international voyages 87 have sought our permission probably strengthens our case today. But I entirely agree with the preceding witness, Suzanne Lalonde, who said the first one that's not American that goes through successfully without asking permission will set the worst type of precedent. The best way of handling this issue is something Canada actually led in the 1990s with the creation of an international agreement called the polar code. It basically said that if you were coming into the region you had to follow certain regulations. Unfortunately, the Americans squashed that, much to their regret.