Acts of Occupation : Canada and Arctic Sovereignty, 1918-25 Paperback / softback

As climate change threatens to open the Northwest Passage to ice-free travel, Canadian sovereignty over the Arctic has come to the fore.

Although Canada’s claim to the Arctic archipelago is now firmly entrenched in the minds of Canadians, less than a century ago, that claim was much less secure. Acts of Occupation draws on a wealth of previously untapped archival sources to piece together the engrossing story of how one explorer’s self-serving ambition ultimately led Canada to craft and defend a decisive Arctic policy.

Historians Cavell and Noakes show how unfounded paranoia about Danish designs on the north, fueled by a deliberate campaign of deceit and fear-mongering, was the catalyst for Canada’s active administrative occupation of the Arctic. A compelling tale, Acts of Occupation throws new light on a transformative period in the history of Canadian Arctic policy and provides much-needed historical context for contemporary debates on northern sovereignty.