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Topic spans: 1959 - 2006
Breaking the Ice: Canada and the Northwest Passage
It's been called "the Arctic Grail." For centuries, European explorers were obsessed with the quest for a route around North America to the Orient. Norway's Roald Amundsen finally conquered the Northwest Passage in 1906. But long Arctic winters meant the route couldn't be exploited commercially. Global warming could change all that by melting the ice and making the passage a key shipping route. But as this happens, the controversial question of sovereignty becomes increasingly important. Does the Northwest Passage belong to Canada or the world?
Cover photo: Navigating the Northwest Passage 1990 courtesy Clark Stede
10 television clips
11 radio clips
The northern quest begins
Broadcast Date: Dec. 14, 1970
In the 1570s, British explorer Martin Frobisher tried to find a northern route to Asia. John Davis continued the exploration the 1580s, followed by Henry Hudson in the early 1600s. But none of those explorers was able to conquer the icy passage. "The search for the northern route to the Orient had thus begun," says the announcer in this 1970 CBC Radio special. "Men from Europe in little wooden ships would sail time and again… and the tales of misery, suffering and death would grow in each passing year."The northern quest begins
• The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines the Northwest Passage as "a sea passage along the northern coast of the North American continent, through the Canadian Arctic from the Atlantic to the Pacific."• Early explorers, such as Frobisher and Hudson, were seeking the passage primarily for trade and economic purposes. But by the early 19th century, motivations for the quest expanded to include "scientific research and national glory," according to the Oxford Companion to Canadian History.
The northern quest begins
Medium: Radio
Program: North by Sea
Broadcast Date: Dec. 14, 1970
Narrator: Jim Coward
Speaker: John Grenville, Bill Strauss
Duration: 11:41
Photo: courtesy National Archives
Last updated:
Aug. 11, 2009
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21 clips in this topic . page
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The northern quest begins.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Aug. 11, 2009.
[Page consulted on Feb. 9, 2010.]