16 Terrace Review — Wednesday, February 10, 1988 =

The A — B line: A boundary dispute with

Recent concerns over the
‘ waters located along the
' disputed Alaskan border area
bring about some echoes of the
past, when Canada and the U.S.
bickered over the land where the
Alaskan Panhandle exists to-
ay.-

by Philip Musselman —

The dispute began long ago
before the province had a per-
manent population of. white set-
tlers, at a time when B.C. was
shifting concern between the fur
trading companies of Britian,

Border bill killed,
MP Fulton furious

the United States and Russia. In
1799 the Russian-American
Company was conducting trade
with Asia in, competition with
Britian’s Hudson's Bay Com-
pany and U.S. traders.

The Russian ‘traders, feeling
the pinch of being cut off from a
reliable supply route, began
negotiations in order to build a
fort near the present location of

. San Diego, California. The con-

struction of the fort and accep-
tance of U.S. supplies allowed
the company to continue a
healthy fur trade.

American traders presented

Skeena MP Jim Fulton worked for months on a private member’s
bill designed to enshrine in Canadian law the A-B line through the
Dixon Entrance as the official boundary between Canada and the
United States. But last month he had to sit fuming and powerless as
the Tory members in the House of Commons ‘talked the bill out’’,
disposing of it by filibuster without calling for a vote before the
designated debate time ran out.

“This leaves me cool toward the way the Progressive Conser-
vative Party feels about democracy - there’s some kind of political
skulduggery going on here,”’ Fulton said afterwards.

Because the government majority normally sets the debate agen-
da in the House, private member bills from the opposition side

don’t usually
to counter U.S. claims to
Prince Rupert, was different
party commons committee,

have a chance of a going to a vote.
630 square kilometers of ocean west of"
- it had prior approval from an alls
all of whom were governnment
members except Fulton and one Liberal.
Despite a 1903 decision by an international

This bill, intended

boundary tribunal

ratifying Canada’s claim to an east-west border following the 54

degree, 40-minute latitude line, as recently as 1984
Interior called for expressions of interest in explor-
gas within Canadian-claimed territory

Secretary of the
ing for off-shore oil and

south of the A-B line. The disputed area has a long

the U.S.

history of con-

frontations between U.S. and Canadian fishing vessels.
Fulton said the Canadian claims are solidly founded on interna-
tional law, and in introducing the bill he said the full force of Cana-

dian law and its Parliament
tion.

The loss of resources to Canada

should stand behind the A-B line posi-

if the boundary is altered would

amount to billions of dollars, Fulton said. The area lies on a major

migratory thoroughfare for returning

B.C. salmon and a major fish

feeding ground, which would be subject to interception by Alaskan
fishermen. There are additional questions surrounding undersea

minerals and military implications.
‘“Pm extremely displeased,’’ Fulton

‘concluded. ‘ intend to

make this a major political issue in the next election.”

In Terrace Court

In Terrace provincial court on
Friday, January 8 Erik Chris-
tiansen was sentenced to seven
days in jail and received a six
. month drivers license suspension
for impaired driving.

In Terrace provincial court on
Friday, January 8 Timothy Ken-
yon was fined $50 for commit-
ting mischief in relation to
private property and $350 for
obstructing a police officer.

stiff competition for the Rus-
sians, forcing the country to
protest the intrusion of the trap-
pers to the American govern-
ment. These protests were re-
jected, and soon were.
withdrawn by Russia when
Napoleon threatened their posi-
-tion in Europe.

Renewed efforts began in
1821 as Russia attempted to ex-
tend the boundaries of her
claim, causing concern for both
the U.S. and Britian. It was
agreed that negotiations would
have to be made in St.
Petersburg, where British and
American ministers decided that
each country should make
claims west of the Rockies.
Several misunderstandings bet-
ween the three parties made
negotiations difficult until, in
1824, the Americans succeeded
in agreeing with Russia, creating
the Russian-American Treaty of
1824. - -
Although the Americans and
the Russians had agreed, Britian
found it difficult to come to
terms with Russia until 1825.
The main problem which had

delayed the agreement was the

Russian’s unwillingness to allow
Britian any access to the nor-
thern west coast.

When an agreement was final-

ly pounded out, the Russians on-

ly signing because the British
made threats of impending dif-
ficulties, the British had not got-
ten the access to the coast
anyhow. This forced the Hud-
son’s Bay Company to lease
land from the Russians.

In 1867 the Americans pur-

chased the Russian claim, mak-

ing up Alaska, but also making
the British feel threatened. The
leased land along the coast had
to’ be returned, taking away the
only northernly access to the
ocean. This later caused unrest
between the two countries of
Canada and the U.S. with Bri-
tian acting as a sort or mediator
between the two nations while
remaining on the side of
Canada, a British colony.
Essentially the border dispute
between the U.S. and Canada
began in the 1870's when,
Canada lost her rights to bring
supplies in through the coast to
the Yukon. This later created
problems for Yukon miners,

". Neither’side budged much un-
til in the 1880’s with the influx

of people moving through

Alaska to get to the Yukon Gold .
Rush. The influx could not be
controlled by the Alaskan
authorities who didn’t have the

resources, while the Canadians -

were concerned by the number
of American prospectors mak-
ing their way into the Yukon.
The British decided that a law
requiring American miners to
become British subjects or leave
the Yukon would be the best.
means of dealing with the pro-
blem at hand. .

‘Meanwhile in 1884 Justice
Gray voiced a theory that the
true border started at Cape

Canadian claim —.

eee’

“\angara taland >

Semana Bay J vengo
. Dod - \. Graham
' Queen Charlotta Islands Island

. ey

Dunsls

Dixon Entrance
to , Cee
. wile av Ds .
Hecate
/ Or

Ls

Strait .

The shaded area Is being claimed by the U.S., which in 1984 offered oll and
gas leases In the ocean territory that Canada says belongs to us. The
disputed territory is also a feeding ground and migratory route for return-

Ing Skeena and Nass River salmon.

who needed equipment during
the gold rush in the 1880's.

The mid 1870’s saw further
restrictions on British movement
in the American claim, and in
1873. when an American
Customs official based at the
mouth of the Stikine river refus-

ed to-let- British shipping enter,
the issue flared. Canada
retaliated by making U.S shipp-
ing of supplies difficult also,
causing the opening of the river
again in 1875, -

m Message
yfrom the

Chacon and went up Clarence
Straight through the Behm
Canal until it connected with the
56th parallel - making the
Portland Channel property of
Canada. The - Americans
disagreed, ignoring plans to
survey the area. 7
In response to various Cana-
dian protests concerning the
border, President Cleveland an-
nounced an invitation for Bri-
tain to come up with a more con-
continued on page 18

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