PM takes Arctic sovereignty message to Ellesmere

Prime Minister Stephen Harper travelled to Ellesmere Island in Nunavut on Sunday as part of a trip designed to reassert Canada's claim of sovereignty over Arctic waters.

Harper's destination was Canadian Forces Station Alert, the most northern permanent inhabited settlement in the world. He reiterated his claim to assert control over the Northwest Passage.

"Sovereignty is not a theoretical concept, you either use it or lose it," he said in a speech before military personnel. "Let me be absolutely clear that your new national government is committed to using."

Scientists have said the effects of global warming could mean that year-round shipping in the region could be possible within a decade. Harper's campaign has largely been seen as an attempt to protect Canada's ownership of the Northwest Passage andthe region'sconsiderable oil and gas resources.

Yesterday, the prime minister spoke before hundreds of politicians, military personnel and the public at the Nunavut legislature in Iqaluit. He said his government was committed to supporting a visible presence in the North.

Sovereignty experts have said immediate action is essential.

"We have to be able to stop anyone from entering the waters that have not asked for permission, and we also have to be able to take action against people who are doing things against Canadian interests," said Robert Huebertof the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies.

The prime minister is scheduled to visit Yellowknife and Whitehorse later in the week.