STEPHEN Harper, the Canadian prime minister, yesterday called an early election for 14 October in a bid to strengthen his minority Conservative government.
The announcement coincided with the launch of an exploration mission aimed at mapping out the resource-rich Arctic seabed. With a number of northern nations jockeying for control of the Arctic, Canada's long neglected sovereignty over its polar terr
itories has emerged as a major election issue in recent weeks.
Record oil prices have fuelled the race to exploit the polar territory's energy resources, while melting ice floes have opened crucial sea routes that could be used to transport the riches out of the region.
The rush to exert control over the region was sparked last year when Russia planted its flag on the Arctic sea floor. Denmark, Norway and the United States are also eyeing Arctic spoils; each country is preparing scientific evidence backing their claims.
Under international law, all countries are entitled to extend their sovereignty 155 nautical miles beyond existing economic zones covering 200 nautical miles of continental shelf. It is expected, however, that forthcoming Arctic claims will clash.
Canada has joined forces with the US for the exploration mission. A Canadian icebreaker, the Louis S St-Laurent, set out yesterday to join the US coastguard cutter Healy. The Healy has already carried out extensive research into the relatively unexplored northern edge of the Beaufort Sea.
It remains to be seen how far Canadian and US co-operation in the area will extend. Rob Huebert, associate director of the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at Canada's University of Calgary, said that the "dividing line" in the Beaufort Sea could provoke disputes.
The biggest bone of contention between the two countries, however, is likely to be over shipping routes. The US, with the support of a growing number of countries, is disputing Canada's claims over the North-west Passage, a shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that has been opened up as a result of accelerated global warming. The route would provide a convenient means of transportation for oil and gas from the region.
Canadian voters feel Canada should avoid being a pushover on this issue. Mr Huebert said that the response from Canadians would be "loud", but that their readiness to assign tax dollars to security, defence and exploration projects had not yet been tested. "Politicians have always wimped out on this issue," he said.
Mr Harper met Michaëlle Jean, the governor general, to request the dissolution of parliament. The latest polls indicate that Mr Harper's Conservatives enjoy a comfortable lead over the opposition Liberals.
The Liberals have met recent Arctic posturing with accusations that Mr Harper is too focused on economic development and military expressions of sovereignty, to the detriment of social and environmental issues.
Mounting economic woes will feature heavily in political campaigns. With the fallout from the subprime crisis spilling over the border, Mr Harper wants to reassure voters that he is a safe pair of hands. He said yesterday: "Between now and 14 October, Canadians will choose a government to look out for their interests at a time of global economic trouble. They will choose between direction or uncertainty, between common sense or risky experiments, between steadiness or recklessness."
The war in Afghanistan will also loom large as an election issue. August was one of the worst months for Canadian troops, with two soldiers and two Canadian aid workers killed. Yesterday morning, Sergean Scott Shipway was killed in the Panjwaii district in southern Kandahar province. A total of 97 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan since the first troops were sent.
The Conservatives need to win an additional 28 seats to have a majority in Parliament, and polls in recent days indicate that his right-of-centre party has a chance to do so.
