Madam Speaker, I certainly thank the member for Yukon for his comments.
I am admittedly disappointed. I did not believe this to be a highly contentious issue and an issue of legal jurisdiction bordering on land claims. This is not that. This is simply a reference. It does not have clear title, so it is really unfortunate that we have taken something that should be an obvious recognition and tribute to our northern people and the protection of Canadian sovereignty, and unfortunately it is now caught in this little political circus we have here.
The various waterways known as the Northwest Passage, clearly historic internal waters of Canada, have been used and occupied, as has been stated by many people, by the Inuit of Canada since time immemorial. Today, very simply with this motion we are seeking to refer to these waters as the Canadian Northwest Passage.
This really expresses our view as a people, as a nation, that the Arctic is a fundamental part of Canadian history. It is an expression of our deepest aspirations and it is central, really, to our national identity.
Canada's sovereignty over the various waterways known as the Northwest Passage is not contested by any nation. Our right to explore, conserve and utilize the resources in and under these waters is unchallenged. The different position that our friends in the United States take is really about the legal status of these waters regarding navigation rights and certainly not about ownership. The U.S. contends that although these waters are undeniably Canadian, a strait used for international navigation runs through them.
Correspondingly, we signed, in 1988, the Canada-United States Agreement on Arctic Cooperation, in which we agreed to disagree, and really this works well for both countries. However, Canada permits international navigation in and through these historic internal waters as long as the conditions established by Canada to protect safety, security, the environment and Inuit interests are met.
We have worked and we will continue to work with the Inuit to ensure that they can continue to use and enjoy their homeland, their hunting and fishing grounds, and their transportation network that has been established, as has been stated again, since time immemorial. Today, however, we are asking the Government of Canada simply to endorse the endeavour to refer to these waters as the Canadian Northwest Passage. We are not asking that the separate waterways be given an official name in English or in Inuktitut, but simply wish to remind ourselves that the Northwest Passage is and always will be Canadian.
This expresses our view that the Arctic is a fundamental part of Canada's history. Our government understands the history and the vast potential of the north. The Arctic and the north are part of our national identity. They make up almost half of our entire land mass. Canada is an Arctic nation and clearly an Arctic power, and will continue to affirm its sovereignty.
A number of other speakers have demonstrated the government's will and intent, so I will not belabour that point, but I am certainly pleased that our government has made this kind of commitment. We have committed to protecting our longstanding, uncontested sovereignty.
To be clear, this motion simply asks us, those assembled here, the Government of Canada, to endeavour to refer to the various waterways known as the Northwest Passage as, simply, the Canadian Northwest Passage.
Let us be very clear. This motion does not propose an official name change and would impose no legal obligations on the government or on Canada. There is no official name in English for it, just as there is no one Inuktitut word for this concept.
Endeavouring to refer to these waters as the Canadian Northwest Passage is without prejudice to our legal rights and serves to honour the fact that Inuit made these waters Canadian long ago. This is a responsibility conferred on us by our sovereignty, and I trust the members of this House will seek to honour our historic title over these waters.
Let me close by thanking the constituents in my riding who first brought this issue to my attention, the staff of various departments who consulted widely with the Inuit and who assisted me in the research to protect this valuable resource.
This motion is clearly not of a partisan nature but one that respects our history and is central to our national identity. I trust this will find support from one and all in this House.