In an amusing spat over Arctic sovereignty rhetoric on Thursday, Yukon MP Ryan Leef criticized Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau for not caring enough about Canada’s Arctic borders.
“Unfortunately, the Liberal leader is as soft on Canadian sovereignty as he is on crime. Yesterday the Liberal leader refused to stand up for Canada’s northern sovereignty when he said that the North Pole is not Canadian. How can he, this close to Christmas, deny Santa Claus his rightful citizenship?” Leef asked in the House of Commons.
On Wednesday, a report from Canadian scientists working on Canada’s Arctic sovereignty claim was released that questioned whether the pole is on a Canadian-owned seabed.
The United Nations asked all the countries with competing Arctic borders to submit claims for the pole, which it will then evaluate before deciding where to draw the line.
As he left the House of Commons on Wednesday, Trudeau was asked whether he thinks the North Pole is within Canada’s borders.
“I’m going to defer to the scientists,” Trudeau replied. “I trust our scientists and oceanographers in terms of how we’re mapping it,” Trudeau said.