NL-Outsidethebox [confederation]

From reading this SeaMap concept paper it would seem time is running out for Canada to lay claim to the Nose Tail and Flemish cap of our continental shelf in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea adopted in 1997. It states countries have 10 years to prove their case and ratify their position in accordance with UNCLOS.

From reading this concept paper it would seem the time line is set for 25 years from 1999 which would put us to 2024 17 years too late to lay claim to the Nose Tail and flemish cap and stop the foreigners from raping and pillaging our continental shelf for their own gain with little or no regard to the cost to the enviroment.

Apparently we don't even have the required vesels to do the required deep sea mapping and charting and they are more interested in finding out what can be harvested from the colony of NL, As well as technology that can be developed to be sold world wide.

It's a pretty easy read and well worth the effort IMHO.

INTRODUCTION

As the twentieth century draws to a close, Canada has the opportunity to start the new millennium in a bold new way on the marine front. The adoption of the Oceans Act in 1997 represents an important new direction in the management of Canada’s oceans. The Oceans Act asserts extends Canada’s jurisdiction by establishing an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) out to 200 nautical miles, claims the continental shelf "to the outer edge of the continental margin, determined in the manner under international law that results in the maximum extent of the continental shelf of Canada" [17(1) (a)], with a yet to be determined outer limit to the maximum extent allowed by international law using a yet to be determined outer limit, and commits the Government of Canada to developing an oceans strategy for the management of marine ecosystems. The strategy and programs under the Oceans Act are guided by the principles of precaution, integrated management and sustainability. It provides the framework within which Canada may exercise rights, responsibility and jurisdiction with respect to the exploration and exploitation of living and non-living resources in our EEZ and on or beneath the seabed to the outer edge of the continental margin.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Canada can submit confirm its claim to new territory on the continental shelf in Atlantic Canada and the Arctic beyond the existing 200 nautical mile EEZ, an area roughly the size of the three Prairie Provinces. Once Canada ratifies UNCLOS, we have ten years to prepare and argue the boundaries of our claim to the new offshore territory. To support this claim, Canada must precisely determine where the limits of extended jurisdiction are and be able to demonstrate to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) that those limits meet their Guidelines. The areas within which the Oceans Act applies conform to Article 76 of UNCLOS. Indeed, the Oceans Act specifically states that "the outer edge of the continental margin, (shall be) determined in the manner under international law that results in the maximum extent of the continental shelf of Canada".