Acts of Occupation: Canada and Arctic Sovereignty, 1918-25
Janice Cavell
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.
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About Janice Cavell
Reviews for Acts of Occupation: Canada and Arctic Sovereignty, 1918-25
Peter Kikkert, University of Western Ontario
Polar Record, Vol. 64, No. 4
This well-written and readable work deserves a place on the bookshelves of historians, students, and popular readers interested in the Canadian Arctic. High-quality photographs and maps add to the story of adventure, exploration, and intrigue that the authors set out to tell. Moreover, this history is both timely and important.
Peter Kikkert, University of Western Ontario
Arctic