Hans Island

Hey everyone. How goes?

I was reading an article about Hans Island in the northern border region between Denmark (Greenland) and Canada. Originally I saw it in that article on the front page of CanadaKA.

I can't really get clarification. But I'm very amazing that the Danish would hoist their flag on an island that is (?) technically owned by Canada.

I've always regarded many of our European allies as friends. With much respect and interest in their histories. I'm pretty surprised Canada is actually showing some military muscle up there! Show them

Well, to be fair the Danes dont see it as invaiding Canadian territory, they see the island as theirs, if they thought otherwise they wouldnt have hoisted their flag on it. Secondly, while I don't think we'll actually end up fighting over the island now as it stands, if it were proven that there were, say natural gas, oil reserves in the area, that could very well heat up the dispute. Kind of like the Falklands im the 80's.

Now its a dispute I think Canada could win with ease, after all Hans Island is in our back yard, and from what I hear the Danes dont get over to Greenland very much.

Whoo Rah! Now The Americans have been contesting our borders up north for years and if we don't have the muscle to back it it (like 1 dam ship!) then their point is valid. Canada is way too soft and having the Danes contest our back yard shows we need more military to secure our own back yard. Australia has renounced the crown and became a republic and thus giving them a clean break to go by to define who they are. We have never had this opportunity. The only thing we have is the Charter of rights and freedoms in 1982 but our system is still based on our colonial past making it hard for us to know what is really Canadian and what is not. We are venerable to revert back to colony status but not for Britain but as a satellite state of the US with all the taxes and none of the voting rights. That is the heart of the sovereignty debate.

Considering there's only 20 people going to the island it self and most are Canadian rangers and militia (I hope I haven't lost you in my cadet/CF lingo) it's not really that much of a muscle.

A republic in spirt IS a republic

Thus making it only a matter of time.

I mispoke that Australia was a republic, my bad.

Sa ben l'air qu'on a beaucoup de disputes avec le monde!

"managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; uncontested dispute with Denmark over Hans Island sovereignty in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland"

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fac ... os/ca.html

Quelqu'un peut nous montrer une carte de l'ile de Hans?

I tried to find it but it's too dam small. Let's go to war over it! The rest of the world would be so surprised they will stop what they are doing and stare in disbelief. Cries of 'Cripple Fight!' will ring through the air. Soon, wagers will be passed and then we will be on CNN. We will be bigger than the apprentice! Trump will try to buy Canada in a bid to maintain his ratings as his casinos are going down the shitter thus raising the value of the Canadian dollar allowing us to pay off the debt and with the extra we invest in environmentally friendly energy sources to maximize our hemp production so we can out smoke the Danes on Hans island.

It could work.

Well iam a profession soldier, ive been to Bosnia, Crotia, Kosovo.... Are 3 sq km of Artic rock worth fighting over.... Seems like someone in Canada is doing a "Wag the Dog" on you.

Maybe its better to continue disagreeing, we have been for the last 30 years.

Trust me you dont want war...

And A war with Denmark, aint just a war with a Allied, its a battle against the whole European Union, even England and France, is that really what you want...

Take care
Morten
Denmark

Good point, Dane. The thing is that it isn't 3 kilometres of rock, it's sovereignty over the surrounding water and resources that is the real issue. Starting a war over it would still be incredibly stupid, especially if that war is with an ally.

The problem is that it's been turned into a zero sum situation. Either you get it or we get it. It needs to be made into a situation where we both get it. That sort of agreement needs to include effective safeguards for both countries.

The importance of that rock is incredibly important to Canada right now because there is mounting evidence of real challenges to our sovereignty in our underpopulated North. We've largely ignored our northern territories, literally leaving them to be protected by a few civilians with hunting rifles. Now we're trying to re-establish our sovereignty, mostly with talk...we still depend on those guys with deer rifles to represent us. That means that a thirty year dispute over a tiny speck of rock makes it into the news and becomes a big deal.

You say you're a professional soldier, Dane. Your list of places you've served is impressive...places that I would never want to go. I think you likely realise how incredibly childish both of our countries are being about this. The problem is that we need to send people to establish our sovereignty and nobody is going to go to that rock unless the military orders them too.

I think another problem here is that if we give up on this issue we will be pushed around on all other issues.

This little disput is not worth getting into a war over but it can not be brushed aside without anything done.

The CF now doing exercises in the North is defiantly a good thing.

One thing is for sure it's going to be interesting to see what unfolds from this whole thing.

ha! wag the dog.....

what a great movie. makes u wonder about conspiracy theories...

war? Please, neither of two countries involved are American so there is little chance of that

Bottom line is that you don't want to leave something like this uncontested or you end up clouding the issue 50-100yrs from now when the land/resources are worth something either monetarily or strategically.

No bigee
m

danes/eu vs canada...hahaha..love to see that one...

maybe they know there is oil there....that or say gold.would change the sit...