Oil and natural gas activity in all or parts of Lancaster Sound in the Eastern Arctic will be prohibited if the Canadian government succeeds in designating the waterway as a marine conservation area.
"This ... is basically the elimination of any exploration or resource extraction," Environment Minister John Baird told a news conference Monday.
"There is substantial natural resources, substantial oil and gas deposits, certainly oil deposits in this part of the Arctic" and it would be "off-limits ... once we negotiate and consult with the Inuit, the public, environmental groups, with the government of Nunavut."
And, effective immediately, he said, "there will be no seismic testing in the proposed area even before it is made a marine conservation area."
Baird said that the government was responding to local communities' concerns "about the impacts that resource development might have" and that the various federal departments involved in Arctic jurisdiction had "defined the government of Canada's position on a future potential boundary."
That set the stage for a steering committee, which would hear 'all perspectives before a final decision is made on boundaries," he said.
While the waterway at the eastern end of the Northwest Passage between Baffin and Devon islands would be closed to exploration and development, it would remain open to shipping.
Asked about potential environmental risks posed by tankers, Baird indicated that the government would rely on regulations to reduce the prospect of spills.
"What we have got to do is ensure that doesn't happen; we have got strong regulation that prohibits that from happening," he said, adding that the military and coast guard will be involved in monitoring and enforcement.
"We have got to be forever mindful of our transportation regulations in this regard to make sure that the area is kept safe. We cannot make the same mistakes in the Arctic that we have seen over the last 200 years in southern Canada," Baird said.
When it was pointed out that the US and other countries routinely challenge national jurisdiction in waterways they consider to be international bodies of water, Baird said Canada didn't share that view.
"We believe this is Canadian territory and I think we can exert our sovereignty in the north through military action. We can also exert our sovereignty through environmental action, which is one of the things we are doing today," he said.
He was asked how Canada would react to "a really big oil resource" being confirmed in the area. Would boundaries be redrawn to permit development?
"The requirements to establish [a marine conservation area] require us to look at these issues," Baird said. "We are going to look at the existing work that has been done over the last 30, 40 years in this regard. We are not planning on conducting a lot of new work, obviously no seismic testing. Obviously we are going to be ... limiting future extraction areas outside this area."
"This ... is basically the elimination of any exploration or resource extraction," Environment Minister John Baird told a news conference Monday.
"There is substantial natural resources, substantial oil and gas deposits, certainly oil deposits in this part of the Arctic" and it would be "off-limits ... once we negotiate and consult with the Inuit, the public, environmental groups, with the government of Nunavut."
And, effective immediately, he said, "there will be no seismic testing in the proposed area even before it is made a marine conservation area."
Baird said that the government was responding to local communities' concerns "about the impacts that resource development might have" and that the various federal departments involved in Arctic jurisdiction had "defined the government of Canada's position on a future potential boundary."
That set the stage for a steering committee, which would hear 'all perspectives before a final decision is made on boundaries," he said.
While the waterway at the eastern end of the Northwest Passage between Baffin and Devon islands would be closed to exploration and development, it would remain open to shipping.
Asked about potential environmental risks posed by tankers, Baird indicated that the government would rely on regulations to reduce the prospect of spills.
"What we have got to do is ensure that doesn't happen; we have got strong regulation that prohibits that from happening," he said, adding that the military and coast guard will be involved in monitoring and enforcement.
"We have got to be forever mindful of our transportation regulations in this regard to make sure that the area is kept safe. We cannot make the same mistakes in the Arctic that we have seen over the last 200 years in southern Canada," Baird said.
When it was pointed out that the US and other countries routinely challenge national jurisdiction in waterways they consider to be international bodies of water, Baird said Canada didn't share that view.
"We believe this is Canadian territory and I think we can exert our sovereignty in the north through military action. We can also exert our sovereignty through environmental action, which is one of the things we are doing today," he said.
He was asked how Canada would react to "a really big oil resource" being confirmed in the area. Would boundaries be redrawn to permit development?
"The requirements to establish [a marine conservation area] require us to look at these issues," Baird said. "We are going to look at the existing work that has been done over the last 30, 40 years in this regard. We are not planning on conducting a lot of new work, obviously no seismic testing. Obviously we are going to be ... limiting future extraction areas outside this area."
