Arctic Exploration

Arctic exploration has changed for political reasons. Firstly, the exploration of the Arctic created an unclaimed area of land that suddenly everyone wanted; this created an incredible amount of political problems. The Canadian government realized that it was a good idea to show that the Arctic was their claim so they increased the number of expeditions going there to demonstrate to the rest of the international community that the Arctic was Canada’s property. Secondly, as Canadians started to live in the Arctic thanks to Arctic expeditions, the Canadian government started to interfere with the Natives way of life. In the 1940s The Canadian government sent Inuit children to residential schools, thus interfering with their lives and way of life but above all forcing those kids into terrible situations, creating political problems that remain today. Lastly, when the Northwest Passage was opened to commercial shipping, it created political conflict because of the benefits the Northwest Passage held. The Passage remains a point of contention between the United States, which considers it international waters, and Canada, which considers it to be under Canadian sovereignty. The Northwest Passage was long sought after and became a significant political conflict that changed the way Canada has focused on the Arctic and the expeditions going there. Politics have affected our interest in Arctic expeditions and has also affected those living in northern communities.