Acts of occupation: Canada and Arctic sovereignty, 1918-25

In Acts of Occupation, historians Janice Cavell and Jeff Noakes deliver the engrossing story of Canada’s early days of Arctic policy. Drawing on a wealth of previously untapped archival sources, they show how one explorer’s self-serving ambition fueled unfounded paranoia about Denmark’s designs on the north, and ultimately served as the catalyst for Canada’s active administrative occupation of the Arctic. A compelling tale that throws new light on a transformative period in Canadian Arctic policymaking, Acts of Occupation offers much-needed historical context for contemporary debates on northern sovereignty.