Review by Choice Review
The decade after 1918 marked the beginning of Canada's effective sovereignty over its Arctic islands. They had been ceded by Britain in 1880, but both countries' claim to the region was based on assertion rather than discovery and occupation. In fact, Norwegians discovered a great deal of the region, and it was only Norway's lack of desire to make claims (a lack shared by other countries, including the US) that left Canada's sovereignty unchallenged. In the early 1920s, Canada began to take steps to demonstrate an administrative function over the Arctic islands, both through patrolling regularly by ship and by setting up Royal Canadian Mounted Police posts at remote locations throughout the region. Meanwhile, explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson was making strenuous attempts to establish himself, through various proposed schemes for expeditions and other projects, as the champion and savior of Canada's sovereignty. The civil servants responsible for northern affairs, who distrusted his motives, parried his efforts and blocked his schemes. Cavell (Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada) and Noakes (Canadian War Museum) trace in minute detail the bureaucratic dance between Stefansson and the government, a dance that led to the evolution of Canada's modern stance on Arctic sovereignty. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, faculty; Canadian collections. W. R. Morrison emeritus, University of Northern British Columbia
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
