Canada-US Dispute Over Machias Seal Island Escalates Over US Tour Company
The Facts
- A territorial dispute between the United States and Canada has re-emerged after New Brunswick Senator Jim Quinn called upon Canada to reassert its claim to the disputed Machias Seal Island off the coastlines of Nova Scotia and Maine.
- Located in the Bay of Fundy, the island, measuring 550 meters (1,804 feet) in length and 250 meters in width, is a migratory bird sanctuary administered by Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and hosts over 1,000 pairs of puffins and other seabird species.
- The intervention comes as a U.S. tour operator, the Bold Coast Charter Company, described the island on its website as "the largest puffin colony on the coast of Maine" and stated that U.S. tourists did not need to bring their passports to visit.
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The Spin
Narrative A
Machias Seal Island rightfully belongs to the U.S. as per the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which granted sovereignty over all islands within roughly 70 miles of the U.S. coastline. Not only does this island sit well within this boundary, but the U.S. claim was also validated by arbitration under the Treaty of Ghent and remains firmly grounded in international law.
Narrative B
Canada's sovereignty over Machias Seal Island is absolute. However, the country continues to issue permits to American tour operators that openly market the island as part of Maine. This issue requires urgent correction, which is why the DFO must be willing to revoke the Bold Coast Charter Company's permit if it refuses to acknowledge Canada's rightful ownership of the island.
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