Statement on Canada's Arctic foreign policy : Énoncé de la politique étrangère du Canada pour l'Arctique: exercer notre souveraineté et promouvoir à l'étranger la Stratégie pour le Nord du Canada

Canada will make its submission to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in December 2013 and is currently engaged in the sci- entifi c, technical and legal work needed to delineate the outer limits of its continental shelf. [...] Along with the rest of the international community, we have witnessed the terrible environmental, social and economic impacts of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. [...] In the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we are furthering our collaboration at the appropriate levels, in particular with the United States and Denmark/Greenland in light of our common interests in the Arctic marine environment. [...] Canada is playing a key role in the creation of the Arctic Regional Hydrographic Commission to improve our understanding of the features of the Arctic Ocean and its coastal areas, essential knowledge for safe navigation. [...] Third, Canada will continue to encourage a greater understanding of the human di- mension of the Arctic to improve the lives of Northerners, particularly through the Arctic Council.