A revision to the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act (Canadian law governing Arctic environmental protection) was submitted in the House of Commons on Wednesday, prior to parliament being dissolved through till late January.  The amendment to the current Act is seeking to extend Canadian jurisdiction in terms of enforcement from the current 100 nautical miles from shoreline to 200 nautical miles.  Although current political turmoil will likely set back the passing of this amendment for some time, it is part of a broader pledge announced by Prime Minister Harper this past August which saw another measure to help shore-up Canadian Arctic security — mandatory shipping registration of all Arctic-bound vessels through the NORDREG maritime traffic system.   

For further information on the Arctic announcements made this past summer, please visit the following link:

http://www.polarwarming.ca/northwest_passage.html

For further information on the amendment to the Act, please visit the following link:

New bill extends Canada’s sovereignty in Arctic – Canwest News Service