POLITICAL RIGHTS 239 



of the meridian which divides Alaska from Canada (141° W.), and 

 north of the Canadian mainland up to the pole. 



What is to be said as to the Canadian title to the islands now on 

 the map within these lines, islands having an area of say 500,000 

 square miles? There is of course no doubt of the perfect jurisdiction 

 of Canada over these lands under Canadian law. Statutes and Orders 

 in Council include within the Dominion all of these territories; the 

 national act and the national assumption of jurisdiction are com- 

 plete; but we are thinking of their status internationally. 



Baffin Island, the largest of all, with 200,000 square miles, is as 

 certainly Canadian as is Ontario ; and we may take for granted Cana- 

 dian ownership of the other islands directly adjacent to the mainland. 

 As Halleck says: "The ownership and occupation of the mainland 

 includes the adjacent islands, even though no positive acts of owner- 

 ship may have been exercised over them." 



As to the rest, there are various shades of doubt — the doubt in- 

 creasing generally with the latitude. We have seen that Ellesmere 

 Island and Devon Island have each at least one officially established 

 and maintained police post; that is actual, even if it is to be deemed 

 only partial, possession. The other islands north of 74° are unoccu- 

 pied, are generally uninhabited, and indeed have rarely — and some of 

 them never — been seen or visited except by explorers of various na- 

 tionalities. The very existence of the more remote of them was un- 

 known a generation ago. 



On the other hand, whereas Canada makes a precise and definite 

 claim of sovereignty, no other country (aside from the rather shadowy 

 "discovery" rights of Norway to one or two islands) has announced 

 any claim whatever. Furthermore, the appearance of these islands 

 on the map as a seeming northern extension of the Canadian main- 

 land is a visible sign of an important reality — namely, that many of 

 them are quite inaccessible except from or over some Canadian base. 

 With her claim of sovereignty before the world, Canada is gradually 

 extending her actual rule and occupation over the entire area. 



It has been suggested that the Monroe Doctrine has a bearing 

 upon lands in the Arctic. Speaking very generally, this is no doubt 

 true. Historically, the Monroe Doctrine at its original enunciation 

 was aimed in part against the extension of territorial claims by Russia 

 in the north. It is well to remember, however, that the geographical 

 extent of the Monroe Doctrine has never been precisely delimited. 

 Monroe spoke of "the American Continents" or, in other words. North 

 and South America. Does this wholly exclude Antarctica, and if 

 not, what part of that region is included? Furthermore, what are the 

 precise northern boundaries of the continent of North America? 



It is also frequently said that the Monroe Doctrine applies to 

 "the Western Hemisphere." Now whatever this expression means 



